Employee mobility and health care in focus

When I first studied American history, I was astounded to learn that our economy depended, yes depended, on at least 5 percent of the workforce being unemployed and mobile.

“The nature of American business is its essential mobility,� was how our teacher put it. We have always been a country on the move, business moves more in America, much more frequently, than in any other nation and, in addition, seasonal employment (especially farming and tourism) requires a mobile workforce, even willing to displace themselves many times a year.

Part of the problem, of course, is that this culture of mobile business has spurred some companies to move to cheaper locales outside of the United States, leaving their willing-to-relocate employees behind the border fences.

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However, part of the problem with American industry and commerce is the health care issue. Many people I have talked to are in jobs they hate, afraid to move for fear of losing health care they already have.

That is an un-American business model for a start. But when you couple the demise of small businesses able to afford health care for employees — especially this year with huge, monstrous increases — those employees who need healthcare gravitate to the largest companies, often accepting smaller hourly wages but enjoying the company muscle to negotiate good health care premiums. Wal-Mart anyone? Costco? Home Depot?

What chance does your main street grocery store or hardware store have? It is not just that Target or Lowes are cheaper shopping for consumers; they are cheaper and safer for employees’ health benefits when compared to small business enterprises.

So, another reason we need healthcare reform is to allow the little guy, the industries and businesses that make up 50 percent of all new enterprise in America, and 65 percent of all new hiring in America, to compete with the larger companies with health care negotiation muscle.

Part of the benefit from health care reform will be to free up the mobility employment market again, to allow the most talented people to rise to new jobs, personal dreams and challenges - and do so with security of health care they can afford (one that is bought in large pools, just like Congress and the big companies do).

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America was built on talent, free will talent. The business model of America is still the cream of talent rising to the top, being able to freely move to the top. The entrepreneurial spirit, the ability and will to move to where you want to live, work on (or in) what you want — in short to be the master of your own destiny — is critical to unemployment, national security and our GNP.

All these depend on the absolute freedom of the individual. Anything that stands in the way of that time-proven commercial success story is un-American. Reforming health care is therefore critical to redress the balance of American commerce taking some of the leverage out of the hands of insurance companies and big business, to spur small business new employment, and re-align American industry and success to time-honored values.

Any standard of what made us great a great economic powerhouse should be reinforced and anything that stands in the way of that successful model should be swept away. Health Care is not just about health of Americans, it is also about the health of America.

Former Amenia Union resident Peter Riva now lives in New Mexico.