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In addition to the factors described in the article, in the United States there is an additional and very real incentive to work "bullshit jobs" and that is that health insurance is tied to employment (far less expensive when purchase through or by your employer). Unexpected healthcare costs are one of the leading causes of personal bankruptcy, so this creates an unnecessary incentive to have a job.


Sorry if this question sounds dumb to US people, but wasn't "obamacare" supposed to fix exactly that?


You're speaking as if it's been implemented already. The Affordable Healthcare Act has a long timeline.[1]

[1] https://www.healthcare.gov/timeline-of-the-health-care-law/#...


Well at least you don't think it was supposed to create death panels :) it was indeed supposed to make healthcare affordable and force insurers to cover everyone, but it also makes health insurance mandatory. There's subsidies for people that cannot afford it, but it's still potentially more of a financial burden to lower income earners than a Socialist-style healthcare system. The US has basically the worst cost:success ratio of anywhere and the insurance rates reflect that.




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