Shorter Workweek & Healthcare Benefits

Many people in America work 40 hours per week because it gives them healthcare benefits such as medical, dental and vision; however many companies don't offer any healthcare benefits for full-time employees, and it seems that only larger companies offer the best benefits overall. The challenge (when you are wanting to work a shorter workweek) is how to maintain your current benefits or perhaps go outside the company to find a plan that you can afford. If you work half time (20 hours per week), your benefits may be cut in half as well. A large percentage of people work full-time just to get healthcare benefits, as they don't like their jobs, and they dislike working 40 hours per week.

Since the United States doesn't have a National Healthcare Plan, it means that you have to either be without insurance, purchase it at a very high cost or find a state that has a subsidized plan (such as Washington State's Basic Health Plan). Of course, with a plan such as Basic Heath, you can't earn over a certain amount, so it doesn't encourage a person to find a job that pays enough to live on.

A new book (published in 2005) entitled Uninsured in America: Life & Death in the Land of Opportunity by Susan Starr Sered and Rushika Fernandopulle lists some interesting resources in the back of their book. Some of the web sites mentioned are as follows:

http://www.coveringkidsandfamilies.org

http://covertheuninsured.org/stateguides/

http://www.ask.hrsa.gov/pc/

http://www.needymeds.com/

http://www.rxassist.org/

http://www.accessproject.org/

http://www.communitycatalyst.org/

http://www.familiesusa.org/

For more information about this book and to read the introduction, visit the following web site:

http://www.ucpress.edu/books/pages/10379/10379.intro.html

Michael Moore's newest film, Sicko, is scheduled to be out in the theaters sometime in 2007. On his web site, Michael states that Sicko is "a comedy about 45 million people with no health care in the richest country on earth." For more information about his film, visit http://www.michaelmoore.com.

There are a few companies in the United States that offer healthcare benefits for people working 20 hours a week, but they are usually service companies whose starting salaries are close to minimum wage, such as a coffee company and some grocery stores. Also these jobs are grueling and tiring, so they seem to attract very young workers, who never seem to need insurance anyway. We need a National Healthcare Plan in the US, and not one that is tied to employment; however, who knows how long it will take before we see changes in our healthcare system.

I know several people (over 45 years of age) who don't have any health insurance. They work for themselves, and most work a shorter workweek. Of course, they would like to have insurance, but they can't afford to pay for it. These people do not worry about not having it, as they mentioned that it doesn't do any good to worry. At least they are doing work they love and maintaining a good Work/Life balance.

I hope the above web sites and the book will be of some help to all of you.

Please leave comments here about how you manage to work a shorter workweek and maintain your health insurance.

Job Sharing - A Great Way to Get a Shorter Workweek

It can be difficult to get a shorter workweek at your current place of employment, as so many companies are asking people to work MORE than 40 hours per week. A friend of mine works at a production plant (four 10-hour days). They were told yesterday they now have mandatory overtime and will now be working 12 hours per day Monday through Thursday AND 10 hours on Friday until a few days before Christmas. Can you imagine 12-hour days? I can't even imagine 10-hour days, and I don't like the 8-hour day either.

Today, I discovered a NEW web site for people who are interested in Job Sharing, http://www.jobshareconnection.com. The article where I found this web site was entitled "Share a job, keep a job" from today's St. Petersburg Times. I encourage you to check out this web site and let others know about it as well.

Job Sharing can be the answer to a Shorter Worktime advocate's dream. If you can work it out so that you only have to go into your office 2 days one week and 3 the next instead of 4 hours a day, five days a week, that would really help lower your gas expense as well as reduce your stress.

You may have a reduction in your benefits such as vacation, sick time and health care, but perhaps you can work that out with your employer. Overall, I believe this is one of the best ways to lower your working hours and have a better Work/Life balance.