[theonemind]

Not so. In the US, your health insurance is often tied to your employment. You often don't get health insurance unless you work full time. Full time is always 40 hours or more. That isn't a whole lot more productive than 32 hours, but employers benefit by having fewer employees work more rather than more employees working less, because of costs like health insurance.

I think it's quite a bit more complicated than "because we want stuff"--I'd say it's because we're serfs for the ultra wealthy.

[dsauerbrun]

you can pay for health insurance if you don't have a job. I've done that many times in between jobs; it's totally feasible for single people. I was paying between $250-$320 per month as a healthy 30 year old.

most jobs I've had only cover 50% of the healthcare premiums so big whoop... I'm saving $150/mo by getting health care through my job... the money isn't worth needing a job.

this may not be the experience for people not in tech/high salaries, with medical conditions, or families but I sometimes get tired of the blanket statement that you need a job to get healthcare in the states.

[cbozeman]

Everything you just wrote, right down to the dollar amounts, exemplifies just how privileged you are, and 'privilege' is a word I hate and almost never use, but it is the correct and appropriate word here.

The majority - as in > 50% - of Americans can't afford to be "between jobs" for months, or even a single month at a time. And they certainly can't afford rates that are 2-4 times $250 - $320 jobs. The majority of Americans can't even afford a $500 emergency.

[refurb]

The article is “working so much”, not “why are people working”?

All the middle class folks I know work crazy hours because they want a new car, or to buy a bigger house or save for their kids private education. Not needs, wants.

They could take a job that pay a bit less, has health insurance and gives them back 20 hrs a week, but they aren’t willing to make that trade off.