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Comment by alkonaut | Hacker News Reader

> I am absolutely happier having american healthcare than canadian. Admittedly, that's because I am of the 80 percent of people who get decent health coverage via my employer.

Do you still have coverage if you get laid off? For how long? For kids too? That’s what freaks me out about the US system, is that it’s tied to employment to a high degree. This pandemic must have led to tons of people being laid off. Many of them got laid off and then they (or a family member) got Covid. How long after being laid off are people normally covered? How long is coverage for family members on the employee’s insurance after they are laid off?

I wouldn’t say care is better under my single payer than it is for US white collar employees, but I assign a massive value to the fact that I don’t worry about insurance or money if I get sick, have a child, or have a chronically ill child.

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Look, I absolutely agree. I am actually admitting my privilege.

Even if it's the right thing to do, a lot of people are going to be opposed to it if it hurts them (even marginally). I think NPR sort of overlooks this, and focuses too much on the poorest 10 or 20 percent.

Certainly we need to care about the poor, but the rest of the people matter too.

>Do you still have coverage if you get laid off?

https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/health-plans/cobra

"right to choose to continue group health benefits provided by their group health plan for limited periods of time under certain circumstances such as voluntary or involuntary job loss, reduction in the hours worked, transition between jobs, death, divorce, and other life events. Qualified individuals may be required to pay the entire premium for coverage up to 102% of the cost to the plan."

Yeah, no, that's not the same thing at all. As a Canadian I have health coverage I can, y'know, live with regardless of whether I'm employed or not. And buying coverage in the US (with a pre-existing condition) was absolutely not worth it (even considering the wage gap) when I entertained a few offers in the early oughts.

Staying here means I have substantially better freedom of movement and negotiating power. In the US the "freedom" to not have healthcare just seems to mean that everyone has the "freedom" to pay more - and often for less.

Looks like it might be hard to ensure coverage for very long if the reason for losing your job was the employer going bankrupt.

Are there other systems aside from Cobra that pick up where Cobra doesn’t? E.g for bankruptcy , companies smaller than 20 employees?

Yes, you are still legally allowed to pay many thousands of dollars for healthcare if you are laid off.

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