<description>&lt;p&gt;Why is anyone’s health insurance tied to their job? It's because of a superintendent in Dallas, World War II wage freezes, a 1953 tax code quirk, and decades of inertia. This accident of history costs America $384 billion a year in tax breaks to corporations for providing coverage. And what do we get for that? A system that locks people in jobs they'd otherwise leave, suppresses wages of those who look "expensive to insure," and disadvantages small businesses that can't afford gold-level health plans. In a different historical timeline, President Harry S. Truman’s 1945 national health plan would've given us universal coverage, paid medical leave, and government-funded medical schools. But of course we’re not living in that timeline.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Take Our Listener Survey!&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://tinyurl.com/op-econ-survey"&gt;https://tinyurl.com/op-econ-survey&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</description>

Optimist Economy

Kathryn Anne Edwards and Robin Rauzi

How Health Insurance Got Shackled to Jobs

OCT 14, 202551 MIN
Optimist Economy

How Health Insurance Got Shackled to Jobs

OCT 14, 202551 MIN

Description

<p>Why is anyone’s health insurance tied to their job? It's because of a superintendent in Dallas, World War II wage freezes, a 1953 tax code quirk, and decades of inertia. This accident of history costs America $384 billion a year in tax breaks to corporations for providing coverage. And what do we get for that? A system that locks people in jobs they'd otherwise leave, suppresses wages of those who look "expensive to insure," and disadvantages small businesses that can't afford gold-level health plans. In a different historical timeline, President Harry S. Truman’s 1945 national health plan would've given us universal coverage, paid medical leave, and government-funded medical schools. But of course we’re not living in that timeline.</p><p><strong>Take Our Listener Survey!</strong><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://tinyurl.com/op-econ-survey">https://tinyurl.com/op-econ-survey</a></p>