Health Reform And Employment Article Review Example

This is an article on American politics published in The Economist titled “Health reforms and employment: Will Obamacare destroy jobs?” The Economist 21 Aug. 2013 Web nd. The overall purpose of the article is to evaluate the impact of Obamacare on the job market. It makes it mandatory for all Americans to purchase health insurance. The article compares and contrasts the immediate and long-term fallout on employer and employee behavioral pattern.
After setting the context, the article brings Obamacare into the picture. It tries to mitigate the previously mentioned uncertainty, and gives strong reasons for it. Such as, insurers are not supposed to charge sick higher rate, and everybody has to take insurance or be fined. Although, it points towards equilibrium, it is unpredictable where it will settle. The article banks on Congressional Budget Office projection that the law will shrink employment. Then it goes on to quote that Obamacare will create disincentive to work. I believe this is a week argument, as people also work for reason other than healthcare insurance. With so much economic uncertainty, people are unlikely to turn down extra work. Same holds true for the employers, as recruitment decision are based primarily on economic situation.
I believe the article is fairly balanced throughout. The author did achieve his objective of highlighting points of complexity and uncertainty. I found that the author was not trying to stress on his own opinion and biases. However the article makes two wrong premises. First, that the employers will cut jobs just because they have to provide insurance. Job creation is related to overall economic scenario, and not insurance. Secondly, that people will leave workforce or reduce hours just because they have better coverage if unemployed. People work for many more reason than just insurance. With economic scenario uncertain, they are unlikely to do so.