General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: The individual mandate: I and others warned that this was coming, too. [View all]Swede Atlanta
(3,596 posts)some employers reducing or eliminating their programs. Some employers will keep them over time but likely only for executives.
But that has two effects.....
(1) Employers will lose the tax deduction for these programs
(2) Employers will be under pressure to pay out at least some of those savings in the form of wages
Personally I am not opposed to the elimination of employer-provided health insurance provided insurance can be purchased by all at an affordable rate and employers don't just pocket the entire savings from the elimination of these programs.
It must be noted that U.S. employers are at a competitive disadvantage to other companies because of the burden they carry for health insurance. That is one reason, according to several studies, vacation time is so limited in this country. It must be noted, however, that employers in other countries do pay higher taxes per employee that help offset the cost of national insurance programs.
Don't get me wrong......I see significant issues on the horizon as many companies just screw their employees. Once "no insurance" is the norm then there is no competitive disadvantage for employees with gutting or eliminating these programs. And of course executives will always get their proverbial balls licked at everyone else's expense.
But at some point we have to eliminate the notion that your health insurance is tied to your job. It is what keeps many people in jobs they don't like or people working beyond when they would like to retire (such as my sister) because of health insurance.