Unfortunately, the plutocrat class sees workers only as an entry on the expense side of the ledger, something to be minimized as much as possible. The New York Times posted a video of nurses explaining why so many are quitting. And no, it wasn't because their employers required them to get vaccinated against Covid-19. They said there has…
Unfortunately, the plutocrat class sees workers only as an entry on the expense side of the ledger, something to be minimized as much as possible. The New York Times posted a video of nurses explaining why so many are quitting. And no, it wasn't because their employers required them to get vaccinated against Covid-19. They said there has been a problem long before the Covid-19 pandemic, that profit-driven hospitals often led by people with no medical background force them to work with inadequate staffing, in order to reduce expenses. Therefore, they are overworked and can't do their jobs to the best of their ability, which they find upsetting. They are not respected or listened to.
One government policy relevant to this discussion is access to healthcare. Many workers have stayed in jobs they dislike because they needed the health insurance the employer provided. The Affordable Care Act was a step in the direction of freeing employees from that bondage, but more needs to be done. Single payer would be the best option. There is no reason that healthcare should be inextricably linked to employment. Maybe one reason the plutocrat class opposes universal healthcare is that they embrace using employer-(sort of)provided health insurance as a means to enslave their employees.
We must de-couple health insurance from jobs and create Medicare for All. We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world, and among all modern countries the worst healthcare outcomes.
If health care is a right (which is something even some Republicans profess to believe), then it has to be a right for everyone in society, regardless of whether they are employed or not, no matter what their health issues are, no matter the color of their skin or their educational level or their income, no matter their citizenship status. It is part of what you receive automatically as your due. (I studied in Denmark and Norway for about five years altogether. To live in Denmark, you were required to enroll in state health plan--no ifs, ands, or buts. I never had need for health care during my stays but it was a comfort to know it was there if I did need it. But--unlike the USA--Denmark is an advanced country and a very democratic one.) If you link health care to employment, what you will have is a company that will try to force the expense of health care onto you and limit your care to save $$$$. And since the company is not really in the business of providing you with health care, you will suffer. Profits are everything to companies, you are nothing. This is sad but we need to break the link between health care and profit-making companies that do not care what happens to their workers.
Yes, so many people continue to work in poor conditions and suffer belittlement just to hold on to "employer-provided" health care through private insurance companies that bilk workers.
Can you imagine what freedom people would have and how work would change if we uncoupled it from health insurance? We have to do this. California has got a bill under consideration right now that would do just that and its prospects look good!
That is one thing that seems to escape small business employers — without having to provide health insurance for their employees would be a boon to their businesses.
I wish more people would understand this and realize what a historical accident the current system is and the health, quality of life and economic costs. I have seen the problems first hand as a primary care physician.
The plutocrats oppose universal health care for two reasons. Their primary motivation in life is to maximize their wealth, typically achieved by profiting at the expense of others. The single payer system would constrain opportunity for profit making. Secondly, they are viscerally opposed to paying taxes, or funding any kind of socialized benefits. You don’t get uber-rich by caring for others. Quite the opposite.
Wealth maximization has been a dangerous trend for decades. As companies systematically engineered out non-essential capacity and expenses the obvious result has been fragile supply chains and employment. What I noticed in my own experience is that our pensions were replaced by 401K plans with institutional investment funds. These funds have no other reason to exist than wealth maximization. The financial services sector has taken over an ever larger part of the economy.
Ultimately we need satisfaction in meeting human needs (including our own) to replace wealth maximization as the primary human motivation and organizing principle. There's enough for everyone. A truly wealthy nation would be everyone having enough and a little more to share with others.
There are still people in this country who regard caring for others as having far more value than getting uber-rich. They are perhaps a solid number that are slightly hidden in our glorious Gilded Age when those at the top assure the rest of us that the goal of all life is to acquire monetary wealth by any means fair or foul. The Commonwealth Club of San Francisco recently hosted an interview with two authors (Mark Bowden & Matthew Teague) whose book (Inside Trump's Attempted Election Steal) studied and interviewed 60-odd election workers who actually helped run the 2020 election. What they discovered was that election workers (generally older Americans who believed in the system and thought they were performing their civic duty, many Republicans) followed the procedures to the letter and took pride in doing their duty. They ended up threatened and harassed by those who bought into the steal but the amazing thing was that these people generally told the authors that they would (will) turn out again. The system worked and the election was valid because the people in the trenches did their jobs. I know first hand because, for several years, I was one such worker....as was my father before me.
Unfortunately, the plutocrat class sees workers only as an entry on the expense side of the ledger, something to be minimized as much as possible. The New York Times posted a video of nurses explaining why so many are quitting. And no, it wasn't because their employers required them to get vaccinated against Covid-19. They said there has been a problem long before the Covid-19 pandemic, that profit-driven hospitals often led by people with no medical background force them to work with inadequate staffing, in order to reduce expenses. Therefore, they are overworked and can't do their jobs to the best of their ability, which they find upsetting. They are not respected or listened to.
One government policy relevant to this discussion is access to healthcare. Many workers have stayed in jobs they dislike because they needed the health insurance the employer provided. The Affordable Care Act was a step in the direction of freeing employees from that bondage, but more needs to be done. Single payer would be the best option. There is no reason that healthcare should be inextricably linked to employment. Maybe one reason the plutocrat class opposes universal healthcare is that they embrace using employer-(sort of)provided health insurance as a means to enslave their employees.
We must de-couple health insurance from jobs and create Medicare for All. We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world, and among all modern countries the worst healthcare outcomes.
If health care is a right (which is something even some Republicans profess to believe), then it has to be a right for everyone in society, regardless of whether they are employed or not, no matter what their health issues are, no matter the color of their skin or their educational level or their income, no matter their citizenship status. It is part of what you receive automatically as your due. (I studied in Denmark and Norway for about five years altogether. To live in Denmark, you were required to enroll in state health plan--no ifs, ands, or buts. I never had need for health care during my stays but it was a comfort to know it was there if I did need it. But--unlike the USA--Denmark is an advanced country and a very democratic one.) If you link health care to employment, what you will have is a company that will try to force the expense of health care onto you and limit your care to save $$$$. And since the company is not really in the business of providing you with health care, you will suffer. Profits are everything to companies, you are nothing. This is sad but we need to break the link between health care and profit-making companies that do not care what happens to their workers.
Yes, so many people continue to work in poor conditions and suffer belittlement just to hold on to "employer-provided" health care through private insurance companies that bilk workers.
Can you imagine what freedom people would have and how work would change if we uncoupled it from health insurance? We have to do this. California has got a bill under consideration right now that would do just that and its prospects look good!
That is one thing that seems to escape small business employers — without having to provide health insurance for their employees would be a boon to their businesses.
Yes, excellent point!
I wish more people would understand this and realize what a historical accident the current system is and the health, quality of life and economic costs. I have seen the problems first hand as a primary care physician.
The plutocrats oppose universal health care for two reasons. Their primary motivation in life is to maximize their wealth, typically achieved by profiting at the expense of others. The single payer system would constrain opportunity for profit making. Secondly, they are viscerally opposed to paying taxes, or funding any kind of socialized benefits. You don’t get uber-rich by caring for others. Quite the opposite.
Wealth maximization has been a dangerous trend for decades. As companies systematically engineered out non-essential capacity and expenses the obvious result has been fragile supply chains and employment. What I noticed in my own experience is that our pensions were replaced by 401K plans with institutional investment funds. These funds have no other reason to exist than wealth maximization. The financial services sector has taken over an ever larger part of the economy.
Ultimately we need satisfaction in meeting human needs (including our own) to replace wealth maximization as the primary human motivation and organizing principle. There's enough for everyone. A truly wealthy nation would be everyone having enough and a little more to share with others.
There are still people in this country who regard caring for others as having far more value than getting uber-rich. They are perhaps a solid number that are slightly hidden in our glorious Gilded Age when those at the top assure the rest of us that the goal of all life is to acquire monetary wealth by any means fair or foul. The Commonwealth Club of San Francisco recently hosted an interview with two authors (Mark Bowden & Matthew Teague) whose book (Inside Trump's Attempted Election Steal) studied and interviewed 60-odd election workers who actually helped run the 2020 election. What they discovered was that election workers (generally older Americans who believed in the system and thought they were performing their civic duty, many Republicans) followed the procedures to the letter and took pride in doing their duty. They ended up threatened and harassed by those who bought into the steal but the amazing thing was that these people generally told the authors that they would (will) turn out again. The system worked and the election was valid because the people in the trenches did their jobs. I know first hand because, for several years, I was one such worker....as was my father before me.
Some large hospitals received PPP funds and shortly after laid off nursing staff. Good grief.