Health care reform undoing ‘job lock’

The Affordable Care Act is providing a cure for the phenomenon known as “job lock” — when a worker stays in a position solely for employer-sponsored health insurance. That’s according to Katherine Swartz, professor of health policy and economics at Harvard School of Public Health, and Theda Skocpol of Harvard University, authors of a February 6, 2014 USA Today editorial.

They cite a Government Accountability Office research that found that workers dependent on their employers for health insurance coverage were more reluctant to change jobs or start a business than those who are/were not. Now with the option to buy coverage through a health insurance exchange, the number of Americans opting for self-employment or for working reduced hours to care for family members is expected to increase.

This is a positive step for the economy, according to the authors, because “job market flexibility spurs innovation and economic growth.”

Read USA Today editorial

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