Hey Everyone!! :-)
I've got a little more of Alyce's adventure to share with you, today! Enjoy! :-)
Excerpt from sci-fi satire novel:
The large alien heaved a sigh and ran a hand over one of his horns. "Be that as it may, none of it explains why people in your society receive health insurance from their employers. If, as it seems, your people have decided that this type of insurance is a necessary commodity, why can you not purchase it on the open market like any other consumer good or service?"
"Well, people can buy health insurance on their own, but there's no free market for it."
"Why not? I thought the philosophy your society valued was that of free-market capitalism. Why should there be an exception for the health insurance industry?"
I looked at the handsome devil for a few heartbeats and then dissolved into hysterical laughter. Squid-boy wandered over and gave me a quizzical look, which just cracked me up even harder. The two aliens looked at each other and Yax said, "I believe this is a sign that we have misunderstood something fundamental about their society, once again."
The short alien made a gurgling sound and responded, "Hardly surprising. Their society seems determined to be manically irrational."
Wiping tears from my eyes, I sobered and said, "Bless your hearts, y'all don't seem like you've understood anything I've told you."
"In what way have we misapprehended your meaning?" asked Yax.
"Isn't it obvious? Has anything I've said indicated that there's anything resembling a level playing field in my country? There's no free market for insurance because the corporations that run our government don't want there to be. The same way there's no free market in a lot of industries, and for the same reason. And there hasn't been anything resembling a free market in my country for decades. The corporations that run our government find it much more profitable to form monopolies, so people don't have any choice beyond purchasing from them or not purchasing at all."
The tall alien made a disgruntled sound in the back of his throat. "More examples of the corruption you told us about."
"Yep."
"But there is an option for your people to buy health insurance without going through an employer?"
"Yes. But it's expensive. A few years ago, a law was passed that makes it easier for people to buy their own health insurance, and some people can qualify for government assistance to pay their premiums if their income is low enough and if their employer doesn't offer health insurance. But it's still expensive and a lot of people can't afford it."
"That would seem to make little sense. Why would the corporations that run your government want the expense of having to provide health insurance for their employees? Wouldn't it be more cost-effective for them to have your government pay for the medical needs of your people?"
"Well, first, most companies don't pay the entire cost of health insurance for their employees. Usually, they only pay part of the cost and the employees have to pay for the rest of it. What they do that does help their employees is negotiate with the insurance companies to secure a lower premium for their employees by guaranteeing a large number of new customers for the insurance companies."
"But such negotiations would seem to favor large corporations much more than small companies," observed Squid-boy.
I nodded. "Yep. And guess which kind of companies give more money to politicians?"
The short alien snapped his beak at me but made no reply.
I turned back to his taller friend. "And, second, can you think of a more effective way of controlling the workforce? If you want to virtually guarantee a ready labor pool, what better way to do so than literally holding their lives hostage?"
Yax uncrossed his arms and looked at me thoughtfully. "You're right. That would seem to be an exceptionally efficient lever of control for the authorities in your society to use against the populace. But, it would seem to have the side-effect of stifling innovation and entrepreneurship."
I snorted. "Of course it does. People don't dare take a chance on starting their own businesses because they can't risk what might happen if they or someone in their family gets sick. But do you honestly think big companies think that's a bad thing? Of course not; it just means there will be less competition for them. Plus, the fact that people are afraid of what might happen if they quit a job they don't like and then get sick means that companies can treat their employees badly with impunity. Because, no matter what they do to them, their employees probably won't go anywhere."
"A very tidy little trap," mused Squid-boy.
I shrugged. "What would you expect when it's been so well designed?"
Now Out:
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