Article 2
Fear over healthcare locks Americans jobs and throttles creativity.
The opinion piece I selected is “Fear over healthcare locks Americans and throttles creativity. The article was written by Jonathan R Goodman and was published in the year 2017. In the article, he states,” What could and should make America great is the freedom to follow one’s dreams, not stay trapped in a cubicle, paralyzed by fear.” The article discusses the reasons why employed individuals fear to leave their jobs in pursuit of their dreams. The impact of leaving one’s job to follow a dream affects a person’s future. The article has highlighted the impact of job lock on the people of the USA. This essay asserts that such Job locks may make America become a less creative place.
A “job lock” is the inability to leave employment because of the risk of losing health insurance. This is common because self-employed people are less likely to receive health insurance. Statistics show that self-employed people are 25% less likely to have health insurance than office workers. People become too scared of leaving their jobs because the Affordable Care act does not guarantee that they will still receive health insurance even after leaving their jobs. It is a requirement that all American citizens should be insured. And this has made many people stick to their jobs because of the uncertainty that the future holds
The cost of job lock may be more damaging to the country than it may be understood. America will slowly lose its creativity through the job lock crisis. A high job lock rate is linked to fewer small businesses. This is because small businesses are mostly self-employments. The job lock crisis needs to be addressed. A country like the USA needs to cultivate talents and dreams, and one way to ensure this happens is by fixing the job lock issue. The article is, therefore, relevant to society. It can help create awareness of the situation and seek to find reliable and sustainable solutions.
America is full of diversity and creativity. The different types of creative minds are what have helped nurture the culture of the people. In the article, Jonathan says, “America is full of creative minds, from mathematicians to photographers and artistic baristas.” This confirms that different creative minds can lead to different talents that may generate livelihood. However, the country’s situation has forced many people to stick to their jobs to keep their health insurance covers. Therefore, Americans are forced to choose between placing importance on the country’s cultural position and protecting their future health-wise. These two factors are important, and the government should come up with solutions through the affordable care act.
In the article, Jonathan informs us about how the Affordable care act is unclear about the job lock issue. “While the ACA’s effects on job-lock are not yet clear, the uncertainty of healthcare reform – coupled with the possibility that preexisting conditions will be held against people by insurers – has left many people previously considering leaving salaried employment feeling trapped.” This shows us that people are unwilling to take the chance, especially if they have preexisting conditions. Other concerns have also made people fear leaving their jobs. They include the fact that health insurance for unemployed people is more expensive, and also the cost of treating certain diseases like leukemia may be high too.
Job lock will have an impact on future generations too. Future generations will be raised to shun creative careers in favor of healthcare-providing employment. In the article, the author gives an example when he says, “imagine the absurdity of a parent convincing a talented child writer to plan for a career in public relations just because she has asthma, or a musically talented undergraduate switching majors to business just for a better chance at an office job.” It shows that talents will not be utilized. Other countries like Europe have gone much further by ensuring that everyone can access healthcare. This has enabled people from many backgrounds to work together, bringing innovation and creativity from one culture to many others.
“America is trapping the next William James and bob Dylan in cubicles,” Jonathan says this regarding the rising number of job lock in the country. He fears for the culture of the nation when he says, “What cultural achievements are we costing this country by training future generations to aim away from their dreams only so they can afford exorbitantly priced medications?” his question convinces the reader to think about how America can be better, and that is by giving its people the freedom to the freedom to be created.
In conclusion, the article gives the reader a lot to think of. The government needs to fix the situation to allow creativity and talents in the nation to flourish. America is a blessed country that has diversity. For the country to become the greatest globally, it should give people the freedom to use their talents. The article is relevant in creating awareness for the people. Therefore, it goes without saying that, For America to really be great, people must be given the freedom to be creative.
Reference.
Jonathan R Goodman Fear over healthcare locks Americans jobs and throttles creativity.