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Comment by fil_a_del_fee_a | Hacker News Reader

Not every business owner is an elite. This makes starting a business very difficult because now you have to pay minimum wage AND healthcare.

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Why don't small businesses lobby for universal healthcare then? I understand the historical reasons, but the idea of healthcare being tied to employment as the best solution we can come up with is kind of baffling. It is a huge obstacle to small businesses.

You do understand that most countries with universal healthcare force employers to pay at least half the tax and in many cases more right?

There are considerable expenses on top of just salaries when you employ people; most countries have some sort of an "employee tax" levied on employers plus other requirements.

You can say well Europe but the minimum wage (and all other wages) in Europe is lower than California and on average than the US.

This is mandated by law. The businesses have fought tooth and nail against ACA employer mandate.

And yet as of today in the United States an employer of 50 or more has to either separate business operations into two distinct units or buy employer-linked insurance.

https://www.uschamber.com/health-reform/employer-mandate

That's not what the question that GP was asking. It was asking about universal health coverage, not employer mandate. GP was wondering why the employer is involved in health insurance in the first place.

There is very little difference in SPS since the employer will have to pay health tax for each employee, which is often more expensive than just insurance.

> why the employer is involved in health insurance in the first place

I am not sure how it was a different question. The government mandates they become involved.

For most businesses this is not the case

It is not true that you have to offer healthcare when starting a business. Only when you reach 50 full-time employees does this even begin to be a concern.

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