• Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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    9 days ago

    we’d be sweeping the legs out from under the private healthcare industry

    And health insurance. Which is why we’ll never do it. The president who puts almost a million people out of work will never get re-elected.

    • GraniteM@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      “We can’t turn off the orphan-crushing machine! Think of all the unemployed orphan crushers!”

      • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        Those orphan crushers vote in the very special places that it matters. Also there’s more of them than people who oppose orphan crushing.

        I’m not saying it’s right. I’m just saying it’s what we’re stuck with.

    • GoofSchmoofer@lemmy.world
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      9 days ago

      Yes. but those people that lose their jobs wouldn’t have to stress about either paying for or using healthcare - This freedom can give many people the opportunity to do something they love (or like to do). Maybe that is starting a new business or creating a new product? Or they could go work in a different industry that they find more fulfilling where previous they couldn’t because of the lack of health benefits.

      I think in the long run the people that lose their job grinding away in a huge faceless health insurance job might actually be a good thing for them?

      • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        I think people think in the short term and not the long term, that health insurance is just one small expense that people have, that losing your job is a traumatic event, that getting into a new career requires retraining, that having a glut of people looking for a job will lower wages, and that a lot of these folks live in suburban swing districts.

        I agree that eventually universal health care would be better. It would free up labor to do the hard jobs in health care like nursing. But this comment has big “coal miners should learn to code” energy.

        • ZombiFrancis@sh.itjust.works
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          9 days ago

          Many of those employed in private health insurance may find key roles in administrating a single payer system.

          Along those lines: If a sudden mass of bureaucrats were unemployed: there is a (not so) coincidental massive shortage and generational gap in local governments across the states.

          More than that though I think freeing up people’s need for affording modern healthcare is a strong career incentive. The private healthcare system can have a restrictive effect for small businesses, especially small family businesses. It is one of the single largest expenses an employer has to account for which is bad for labor and bad for small business.

          But that is great for large business that can absorb the cost more reliably. Also great for the insurance industry who are more than happy to negotiate a contract with a major corporation instead of administering plans for 1000 similar small operations. Which is a bit of a feedback loop as health insurance is big business.

          I always felt that was one of the more compelling point, at least.

      • Semi-Hemi-Lemmygod@lemmy.world
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        9 days ago

        No, they just need to get their successor elected to continue their legacy, and make sure Congress doesn’t change hands.

        And if we need permanent Democratic supermajority for fifty years to fix this travesty of a country they’re not going to get that if they put a million people out of work.

        • AngryCommieKender@lemmy.world
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          9 days ago

          That’s what the lame duck portion is for. Pass all the shit that may be unpopular, but necessary after the election has already been decided. The people don’t remember what happened in the last few months of a lame duck term, by the time the next election happens. They’ll have forgotten, unless they happen to be part of that million people, and a million people is less than ¼ of 1% of the country.