This day in age you would think it mandatory for employers to cover at least part of an employees health coverage. Well in some states yes there a law exists. Recently Massachusetts passed a law that you must be covered and I think the fine is $200 if you’re not. I believe it’s the tax form 1099-HC. But not all states have this law. From a business perspective I would think it to be in the best interest of the company to have health coverage for their employees if not 100% coverage, like my sisters company does. As it promotes wellness and positive energy in the work place.
Lets just look at the sequence of events over the past week to determine why this is important, because I like to base my findings and policy making on real world happenings.
So employee A comes in to the office on say Tuesday, coughing and complaining of an illness. He comes in Wednesday and Thursday with the same complaints. Friday employee B doesn’t even come in and is reported to have fallen ill. Employee A confides that he is going to the doctor on Tuesday to get checked out. Meanwhile, Friday afternoon rolls around and employee C complains of symptoms and is ill all weekend and Monday. Employee C wanted to stay home on Monday but is new to the company and there is a rule where he must work 3 months first to build up “sick days”. So he can’t afford to stay home and comes in to the office. Meanwhile employee D starts feeling ill on Monday. And this becomes a cycle lasting 2, 3, or even 4 weeks.
Let’s look at what happened. Obviously if employee A stayed home and dealt with the symptoms, the likely hood and risk goes down for everyone at the office. Now employee A may have hesitated to see a doctor due to health coverage. If the company pays 100% of this then the hesitation goes away. Employee C must apply for this 3 month rule before he gets any “sick days” which is ridiculous. Sick days in general are setting the system up for failure since you may get 6-8 “sick days” a year. While some people may just end up using those as extended weekends and are not really sick. But when they run out and are really sick they may end up coming into the office putting everyone at risk again or feeling like they have to come in because they haven’t earned any yet.
As en employee I don’t want to be around sickos and as an employer I don’t want my people getting sick.
High risk high reward? Not here, that’s only in gambling and skydiving. So we must abolish these “sick days”. If you are sick, don’t come to work. Better yet let’s go back to elementary school and require a note from a doctor. This forces the employee to use the health coverage provided and everyone is happy.
I am looking at this from the business owner and from the employee and putting both interests at the forefront. For the bottom line, the business owner must look at the long term payoff being that their employees will be at the office more and productivity will increase but it will be the short term payoff that will really reward them as they won’t be getting sick 
Policy Proposal:
Stay home if you are sick.
Abolish “Sick Days”, optionally require a doctor’s note or be docked pay.
Now, I’ve said nothing of the health system in this country on purpose. It just infuriates me and my blood pressure starts to spike and my pulse rate the same and then where am I? Yes, I am in need of medical attention. Which is the last place I want to be with a 4th world health care system. Because a 4th world health care system is evil and is monetarily driven. I know that is the society that has been rammed down our necks. We have the time, tools and the talent but there is a layer of privatized bureaucracy that obfuscates and rapes our doctors of the problem solving curiosity of fixing people that I know all doctors desire.
Anyway, I hope we can get with and stay well.
