On universal healthcare and portability

“Coverage must not rely upon employment or other mutable qualities in a woman’s life. Reform must include a portability option so that women with ovarian cancer can move, change jobs, and live their lives as fully as possible.” (from OCNA Principles of Healthcare Reform)

We Americans put our individual freedom at the top of the values we hold dear. But if our ability to receive medical care is in the hands of our employers, how free are we? We have to include access to affordable health care when considering taking or keeping a job. What happens if we separate health insurance from our jobs?

In the U.S., health insurance has been tied to compensation since about World War II. In an effort to attract and retain workers, and restricted by law from offering higher wages, employers added benefits like paid health insurance and pension plans. How many employers still fully fund pension plans?