Like found on one website to pick and choose from?
In: Other
Short answer: Capitalism. Healthcare in the US is a business which means there are as many options as there are companies who want to offer it. There are private healthcare providers that are available outside of your employer but they’re so expensive that a lot of people either can’t afford it or just take their chances.
Employer-tied healthcare arose from WWII, when wages were frozen by law but employers needed to attract workers as many men were off fighting. The system of it being an employee benefit arose.
There is the Affordable Healthcare Act (ObamaCare) exchanges that are one-stop shops for people to buy insurance if they don’t have access to employer plans, such as people who work for themselves or don’t qualify for employee plans.
But if you can get through workplace, it’s often cheaper for better coverage since employers subsidize a good chunk of cost.
It’s just another way capitalists in America force people to stay at a job they hate. Y’know, Land of the Free and all that.
Other commenters have done a good job explaining the healthcare system in America, but just as a fun extra: in some countries, you can just choose healthcare cover from a website. In Australia, for example, there is socialised healthcare and also a privatised system. For private cover, you literally go online and enter what kind of cover you’re looking for into a search engine that compares different healthcare companies, which will then spit out different rates. You can then click on the different companies and see their individual plans, and apply to the one you like.
Latest Answers