It's Time
Tonight I had a disturbing conversation with a guy who works his butt off at two jobs to support his small family. His full-time day-job is at one North Adams' mid-size employers.
Today he had note with time-card that basically said:
As of January 1, 2009, ***** will no longer be providing employer based health insurance.
Here's the kicker - the guy's wife is expecting a child in January, just a few weeks after the plan goes "Poof!"
I can only imagine the scramble that they are going to go through to get into a state sponsored plan before the baby comes. Hopefully her pre-natal care will not be interrupted by our asinine system of paying for medical care.
I guess the employer's choice came down to cutting insurance or laying people off. I can't blame them for their decision but, jeez, how screwed up is our supposed "free-market" society that this can even happen?
One of the absolute priorities of the Obama administration must, must, must be establishing
a universal health care system that is NOT employer based. The system is collapsing as we speak. Some folks are just too wedded to the current insurance industry model to notice. Maybe they need to get that little slip of paper, like the guy above, with their paycheck.