Take Action

With the introduction of the Affordable Health Act looming on the horizon the news is filled with reports of more corporations reducing the hours of employees in order to avoid providing healthcare for those employees.  Perhaps it is time for the American public to act.  When the unemployment is at today’s high level, employers can get away with more than when there is more competition for employees.  While one cannot fault an employer for maximizing profits, one can also question if, when corporate profits are at record highs and executive compensation is also going through the roof, corporations have a responsibility that goes beyond just the profit goal.  One action that might effect a corporation’s employment practice would be for  consumers to stop patronizing employers that do not provide healthcare for their employees.  Another action would be to lobby Congress to amend the Health Care law to provide that in order for an employer to deduct the costs of healthcare for CEOs and other executives, that employer would have to provide healthcare benefits to all full time and part time employees.  Any cost sharing would have to be consistent throughout the entire company.   In other words, a corporation.  In other words, a corporation could not provide “Cadillac Coverage” for some if not for all employees.  If the corporation fully funded the healthcare for any one employee, that corporation would have to fully fund healthcare for all employees, both full time and part time.  It is obvious that employers are not going to take advantage of the increased profits to hire and, from a business standpoint, they should not hire more people just because the business is more profitable.  However, when the workers cannot afford to purchase goods and services because of low wages or other costs imposed upon them, the entire economy suffers from a lack of demand.  The economy will not grow without demand and part of the responsibility of corporate citizenship should be aiding in the creation of demand.  Corporations will never take action unless pushed.  It is up to us, the consumers to push corporations toward better citizenship by patronizing their business and lobbying our legislators.