The USA health system is designed terribly (stating the obvious here)…not just because of the subpar care, high costs, and unsatisfactory outcomes. It's DISGUSTING that healthcare is tied to employment and employers. And it's not “just” the issue of losing health coverage if you quit or lose your job, it's also that employers can offer vastly different health plans.
For example, I have schizoaffective disorder. Honestly, it's amazing how far I've come and that I can hold down a decent, steady job (many with my condition can't). I can live a relatively normal life right now…much of this relative success is due to intense, consistent therapy, medication, and mental health support. I'm grateful to be in a position to access that. My employer has been horrible lately; pay cut with increasing workload, return to office push, lay offs, no upward mobility, bad management, etc. I have been looking to move on to other opportunities and thought I found a good one: nice people during interviews, better pay, more advancement, etc. I got offered the job and was sooo excited. Luckily though I asked to go over their benefits before just accepting. Thankfully I did…
Their healthcare plan was terrible…I guess my employer keeps people around merely via their good health plan, because if all others are like this new company's, then sheesh…the premiums alone nearly negated any pay bump and the deductible before they'd even start to pay for anything significant was insane. I had to regrettably decline the offer…so I'm stuck at a dead end job I hate because of the USA health system…I wouldn't be able to maintain my health let alone full time employment without mental health resources. So, because some companies don't offer as good of health coverage as my current employer, I feel utterly stuck and hopeless…guess the system is working as designed and according to plan…