For many Americans, health cover is key to a job

[Joanne98]

Source: Reuters

SOUTHLAKE, Texas (Reuters) - Real estate agent Lisa DeWaal serves coffee at a Starbucks outlet for four hours every morning before she goes to the office to start her "day job."

The reason has little to do with the state of the housing market and everything to do with the one big perk that 20 hours a week at the coffee counter provides: affordable health insurance for her and her three children.

While health experts say there are no statistics available, analysts say there are many Americans like DeWaal: people who have taken or stick to a job just for the health insurance.

It is a situation most Europeans, Canadians and others who enjoy national health services would find bewildering if not appalling and is one factor fueling the drive to reform the hugely expensive U.S. healthcare system


Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/topNews/idUSTRE56835P20090709

[Horse with no Name]

1. It is a type of slave labor

I would NOT work at my present job if I did not need the insurance. Period.
But, I have no choice, so hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to work I go...

[femmocrat]

2. Ditto.

I refer to myself as an indentured servant.

[undeterred]

3. I have no job and no health insurance.

The last two contract jobs I held- they did not even tell me about the insurance because the cost is so high and the rate of pay is so low (per the shitty economy) that hardly anyone who works for them can afford to buy it. Lots of places are hiring contractors/temps to save money, and while many of the agencies "offer benefits" they don't pay for any part of it. You pay the full amount -so I don't even know how they can justify calling it a benefit.

[Beavker]

4. I work in the Financial Services Industry

Back office, not sales/brokerage side. My job is the shits, especially knowing the moral/ethical direction of the players. I have to listen to the CNBC right wing non-Financial News channel all day because it's 'informational' to the department that works next to me (It's not). It drives me apeshit.

I blogged about this a while back and someone replied asking why would I stay in that job then?

Bingo. This article. Can't drop the healthcare, can't lose the income, and it's going to be tough to find a job at all, let alone one that replaces the income level that I've drudged my way up to over the last decade and will pay the doctor bills.

So why don't I leave? It's not that easy I guess. I wish it were.

[Uncle Joe]

5. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, Joanne.

[WriteDown]

6. Forget the health insurance, I hate my job, but can't leave

because I need the income. :P

[damntexdem]

7. Rather, the job is the key to healthcare.

And it's a stupid system.

[Wednesdays]

8. K&R

:kick:

[Ishoutandscream2]

9. The registrar in our office works only for the insurance for her family

Her husband has a successful personal business, but as everyone knows, insurance ain't cheap. So, Lisa works so that she can provide her family with medical and dental. She wouldn't work otherwise.