> One of the fundamental reasons why I haven't really bothered doing startups or running a small business myself is the radical uncertainty over health insurance for myself and my family.
I joined a startup once, but it was in Europe, so these issues weren't even on my radar or the company's radar. With government healthcare and government unemployment insurance, it's a no-brainer. The only risk is to your lifetime earning potential. Stay at a solid job with a solid salary, or take a shot at the startup lottery. Your health or your family or your home are just never on the line by taking that risk.
The amount of time and worry you have to spend on healthcare for yourself and your family in the US is absolutely off the charts, and this cost is completely hidden! Time that companies have to spend on acquiring healthcare insurance for their employees is wasted time. Time that employees have to spend on researching the insurance options their company is offering them is wasted time. Time that you spend dealing with healthcare providers to ensure that you're covered by your insurance is wasted time.
In Europe the time spent on this is, for the most part, 0. Companies don't spend time on this. Employees don't spend time on this. But noone in the US seems to regard this waste, this cost, as something fixable. Noone seems to think of the competitive edge this gives EU companies, or want to have the same competitive edge. Why? Why are US companies and US employees just completely resigned to the thought that healthcare just is a massive necessary headache for everyone?
I joined a startup once, but it was in Europe, so these issues weren't even on my radar or the company's radar. With government healthcare and government unemployment insurance, it's a no-brainer. The only risk is to your lifetime earning potential. Stay at a solid job with a solid salary, or take a shot at the startup lottery. Your health or your family or your home are just never on the line by taking that risk.
The amount of time and worry you have to spend on healthcare for yourself and your family in the US is absolutely off the charts, and this cost is completely hidden! Time that companies have to spend on acquiring healthcare insurance for their employees is wasted time. Time that employees have to spend on researching the insurance options their company is offering them is wasted time. Time that you spend dealing with healthcare providers to ensure that you're covered by your insurance is wasted time.
In Europe the time spent on this is, for the most part, 0. Companies don't spend time on this. Employees don't spend time on this. But noone in the US seems to regard this waste, this cost, as something fixable. Noone seems to think of the competitive edge this gives EU companies, or want to have the same competitive edge. Why? Why are US companies and US employees just completely resigned to the thought that healthcare just is a massive necessary headache for everyone?