From Time, Jen Wieczner writes about the recent Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare and whey it is good for Uber. Jen writes:
The ACA is an essential ingredient in the success of the so-called “gig economy,” wherein workers serve as independent contractors on a flexible schedule for on-demand service companies like Uber, Postmates, Instacart and more.
Because Uber and many companies like it consider their workers independent contractors instead of employees, they’re not required to provide those workers with health insurance, as the ACA only mandates that employers extend coverage to full-time employees. That loophole saves the companies a tremendous amount of money. Obamacare’s subsidies for individual insurance buyers, meanwhile, make it easier for Uber drivers and similar workers to get affordable coverage, making the work more attractive.
Uber CEO Travis Kalanick reportedly said at a November dinner that Obamacare is “huge” for his company because it frees up more workers to come drive cars for Uber when they might otherwise be tethered to a job that offers health benefits. “The democratization of those types of benefits allow people to have more flexible ways to make a living,” Kalanick said at the dinner. “They don’t have to be working for ‘the man.’” (An Uber spokeswoman confirmed Kalanick’s comments, but declined to elaborate further.)
Indeed, when Uber recently surveyed its drivers about whether they would prefer a “9-to-5 job with some benefits and a set salary” or one where they could make their own schedule, 73% said they would forgo the benefits package in favor of freedom…
Read the full story at Why the Obamacare Decision Is Great for Uber
