More businesses should add health care coverage

We are in odd times when it comes to the job market. We are simultaneously living through rapid inflation as there is a labor shortage. Because of these inconsistent and confusing times, now more than ever, jobs cannot just be measured by their gross pay, but by the other benefits they offer.

The benefit that most workers care about remains to be employer-provided health insurance coverage.

Working from home, travel stipends, and snacks at the office are all great perks that no staff would complain about, but good quality coverage is still tantamount to people's bottom lines. Receiving health care through an employer can change the way workers budget. When a business provides health insurance, they are also directly affecting the financial development of the next generation and, in turn, their communities.

That is why I encourage all businesses in Washington, if they can, to expand their offerings to their employees by offering employer-provided coverage.

As mentioned, an employer must provide competitive and quality benefits to capture the batch of talented and young workers. Such benefits are considered long-term investments in the individual and an added financial bonus for workers prioritizing access to health care in their lives.

That is why we need to encourage our leaders at the forefront of job creation, economics and labor to acknowledge and support employer-provided coverage. It remains an incredible program that fuels the betterment of our state, our communities and our economy.

Courtney Burrows

Seattle