Yesterday, Andrew Sullivan wrote about the underlying fear that the American work ethic will be undermined by the ACA. Many people work solely for the health insurance. If people can find affordable healthcare, they may either retire early or work part time.
I’ve written a couple of dropping out posts this past month. Maybe it’s the weather or maybe I’m feeling cynical. I’m no longer sure that working hard, either in school or at a job, leads to the good life. I live on a block with ridiculously huge homes that lie empty; the adults aren’t there to enjoy their in-ground pools or media centers. Kids put in all-nighters to complete projects that they don’t understand. And these are the lucky ones. Others are working their asses in dead-end jobs and are struggling to pay the bills.
Will the ACA give people more opportunities to opt out of the rat race, if they choose? I certainly hope so. Will it provide people who want a full time job, but can’t find one, the ability to afford a doctor’s check up? I certainly hope so. Will it provide people the flexibility to work remotely from cheaper places in the country? I certainly hope so.
Apt. 11d 
That belief about the nature of people – that with healthcare, they will be lazy and quit their paid work – is a huge stumbling block to providing an adequate social safety net. There always will be a tiny percentage of any population who is unable or unwilling to do paid work. Most of us just want to make a nice life, have a family, see friends, etc.
Would you or I REALLY quit if we had adequate health care?
I don’t know if you can argue or provide statistics that will change someone’s value system around the nature of people.
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Maybe some of those jobs left open will go to those who need them but are currently are unemployed!
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I agree that to the extent that the ACA provides flexibility in employment, doesn’t leave people trapped in jobs, it might create a more smoothly running economy, and, potentially, give labor a bit more negotiating power in the increasingly imbalanced relationship.
That being said, I also think there will be effects around the edges — it’s already been true for a while that people with disabilities who receive disability benefits, including health care, have to play a careful balancing game to avoid losing their health care by working too much. Now, a main reason for that, though, was the pre-existing conditions clause in most private insurance plans, which are gone under the ACA.
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Mr. Geeky said a long time ago that he thought we’d see more entrepreneurs as a result of the ACA. I get my insurance through Mr. Geeky’s job. I could see him retiring early and working part time for a non-profit or something. I don’t know. The income is pretty important right now, paying for college, a mortgage, car payments, etc. Health insurance is the least of our issues. But we could retire before medicare kicks in if we could afford it and wanted to. Considering both of us have worked since we were 14, I think we’d deserve it. 🙂
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