In his review of the upcoming book The Healing of America, Jacob Weisberg makes some interesting points about healthcare policy being reflective of the country’s culture. The point I found most interesting was how off the current system is on a sociological level, as he explains in this paragraph:
It is on the sociological level, though, that we’re missing the boat most completely by sticking doggedly with a workplace-based system that no longer makes sense. America has always been a mobile society with a labor market that grows more fluid over time. Once, the norm was to work for a single employer for one’s entire career. Today, people change jobs an average of 11 times before they reach 40. Fear of losing health coverage keeps people in jobs they would otherwise leave, creating a drag on economic efficiency.
I hadn’t thought about how the trend of people being more transient in their jobs effects our healthcare policy, but it makes sense it should.