FREELANCERS UNION BLOG

  • Director Dispatches, Advocacy

The Supreme Court Decision: A Step in the Right Direction

![](/content/ckeditor/2012/04/19/Sara headshot 2012.JPG)Today’s Supreme Court decision is a big win for forward-looking health care. The upcoming changes and provisions will have a hugely positive impact on the patient experience as a whole.

While I applaud today’s decision, it is just one step. Because the truth is our country’s healthcare system is failing – it’s isolating, it’s focused on short-term profit, and it is not focused on the patient.

America needs a new model that echoes the origins of insurance – where people join together to make sure they had each others’ backs when times got tough.

Independent workers recognized this early on. It was only when they joined together as a group through Freelancers Insurance Company that they could leverage their own power, resulting in healthcare premiums up to 40% less expensive than the individual market.

No matter the outcome, today’s Supreme Court decision was neither the beginning nor the end of our innovative health efforts. For years, Freelancers Union has been at the forefront of smarter, more patient-centered health care:

  • In New York State, we launched Freelancers Insurance Company, a social purpose health insurance company with the goal of covering people, not maximizing profits for shareholders
  • This fall, we’re opening a medical home that will provide NYC freelancers with patient-centered, integrated care
  • In fall 2013, we’ll start enrolling people in our Oregon, New York, and New Jersey medical CO-OPs

So let’s celebrate today’s forward momentum without losing speed. If we keep working together, the new workforce will continue to set the standard for health care that is focused on the patient, not just the profit.

Let me know what you think about the ruling on Twitter @Sara_Horowitz or on the Freelancers Union Facebook page.

Sara Horowitz As the founder of Freelancers Union, Sara has been a voice for freelancers for over two decades.