{"id":210076,"date":"2021-03-24T22:33:00","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T19:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/opinion-increase-the-minimum-wage-so-working-pays-more-than-being-unemployed\/"},"modified":"2021-03-24T22:33:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T19:33:00","slug":"opinion-increase-the-minimum-wage-so-working-pays-more-than-being-unemployed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/opinion-increase-the-minimum-wage-so-working-pays-more-than-being-unemployed\/","title":{"rendered":"#\n  Opinion: Increase the minimum wage so working pays more than being unemployed"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a383d2d64ec3\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a383d2d64ec3\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/opinion-increase-the-minimum-wage-so-working-pays-more-than-being-unemployed\/#A_15_minimum_wage_would_be_even_better_for_improving_public_health\" >A $15 minimum wage would be even better for improving public health<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-6' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/opinion-increase-the-minimum-wage-so-working-pays-more-than-being-unemployed\/#Employment_benefits\" >Employment benefits<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-6'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/opinion-increase-the-minimum-wage-so-working-pays-more-than-being-unemployed\/#A_possible_solution\" >A possible solution<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/opinion-increase-the-minimum-wage-so-working-pays-more-than-being-unemployed\/#Utibe_Effion\" >Utibe Effion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#<br \/>\n  Opinion: Increase the minimum wage so working pays more than being unemployed<br \/>\n<\/strong>&#8221;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"article__subhead\" itemprop=\"alternativeHeadline\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_15_minimum_wage_would_be_even_better_for_improving_public_health\"><\/span>\n  A $15 minimum wage would be even better for improving public health<br \/>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"column column--full article__content\">\n<div id=\"js-article__body\" class=\"article__body article-wrap at16-col16 barrons-article-wrap\" itemprop=\"articleBody\" data-sbid=\"WP-MKTW-0000210112\">\n<div class=\"barrons-article-ad-wrapper\">\n<div data-track=\"barrons-article-ad-wrap\" class=\"barrons-article-ad sticky_item\">\n<div class=\"barrons-main-article-ad-target sticky_target body_ad\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>       Congress just missed one of its best shots at improving health when the Senate failed to advance a bill that\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2021\/03\/05\/us\/minimum-wage-senate.html\" class=\"icon none\">would have raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour<\/a>. Study after study has linked higher income\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s13561-017-0163-5\" class=\"icon none\">to better health<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p> Consider that a well-paying job, by definition, increases household income. That, in turn, means increased access to good nutrition, heat and a safe environment. It also means adequate\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"http:\/\/www.leadcenter.org\/system\/files\/resource\/downloadable_version\/impact_of_employment_health_status_health_care_costs_0.pdf\" class=\"icon none\">health care<\/a>. With that job, you\u2019ll likely make more visits to primary care doctors, dentists and specialists who work in preventive care.<\/p>\n<div class=\"paywall\">\n       An inadequate income does none of these things. Instead,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/ije\/28.1.95\" class=\"icon none\">it increases susceptibility<\/a>\u00a0to psychological stress, malaise,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s13561-017-0163-5\" class=\"icon none\">illness and disease<\/a>. This is one reason those who move off welfare benefits and gain employment improve their\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1186\/s13561-017-0163-5\" class=\"icon none\">well-being<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>I am not an economist. But I am a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/scholar.google.com\/citations?user=n2n9ZSUAAAAJ&amp;hl=en\" class=\"icon none\">physician and public health scientist<\/a>. I can tell you that research shows that a well-paying job translates to\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rwjf.org\/en\/library\/research\/2012\/12\/how-does-employment--or-unemployment--affect-health-.html\" class=\"icon none\">a longer life<\/a>. For example, researchers in 2016 found that the\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1001\/jama.2016.4226\" class=\"icon none\">richest 1% of men in the U.S. lived 14.6 years longer<\/a>\u00a0on average than the poorest 1% of men.<\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Employment_benefits\"><\/span>Employment benefits<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>Numerous studies show\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/0090-5550.49.3.241\" class=\"icon none\">employment is linked<\/a>\u00a0to self-esteem, purpose and identity. It provides relationships, <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">social<\/a> connections, social status and regular productive activity; a job is an integral part of a person\u2019s identity. Its loss threatens that identity, which is why\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1037\/0021-9010.90.1.53\" class=\"icon none\">unemployment typically causes a decline<\/a> in mental health. When compared with their employed counterparts, unemployed Americans\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rwjf.org\/en\/library\/research\/2012\/12\/how-does-employment--or-unemployment--affect-health-.html\" class=\"icon none\">are far more likely<\/a>\u00a0to receive a diagnosis of depression.<\/p>\n<p>One study found that people with a disability who were employed were less likely to have frequent\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1093\/occmed\/kql177\" class=\"icon none\">mental distress, including anxiety and depression<\/a>, than those with a disability who were not employed (18% vs. 40%). This finding held up even when accounting for demographics and individual characteristics.<\/p>\n<h6><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"A_possible_solution\"><\/span>A possible solution<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h6>\n<p>Many economists have long criticized unemployment benefits because of their\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/0047-2727(92)90056-L\" class=\"icon none\">negative impact<\/a>\u00a0on the willingness to work. The\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2020\/07\/23\/average-unemployment-insurance-payment-in-each-us-state.html\" class=\"icon none\">average unemployment benefit<\/a>\u00a0is $320 weekly; the amount varies by state. The American Rescue Plan, recently passed to provide economic aid to million of Americans hit hard by the pandemic,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/newsroom\/releases\/eta\/eta20210316\" class=\"icon none\">adds an additional $300 to unemployment benefits through Sept. 6<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Compare that to the current federal\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dol.gov\/general\/topic\/wages\/minimumwage\" class=\"icon none\">minimum wage<\/a>: $7.25 an hour. That\u2019s $290 for a 40-hour week, less than what unemployment benefits pay. That means, for millions of Americans, being employed means less income. With the federal supplement, 63% of workers currently\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.americanactionforum.org\/research\/unemployment-benefits-and-returning-to-work\/\" class=\"icon none\">make more on unemployment<\/a>\u00a0than they would with a minimum-wage job. <\/p>\n<p>Reduce the federal supplement to only $100 a week, and 25% of the workforce would still make more on unemployment.<\/p>\n<p>Which raises the question: Why not increase the minimum wage \u2013 at least enough to make it more than unemployment benefits? That way, more people would be motivated to seek jobs.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cx-membership-tile\"><\/div>\n<p>That may not h<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>en soon, if at all. President Biden\u2019s plan to raise the federal minimum wage to $15 per hour\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/minimum-wage-15-dollars-amendment-fails-covid-relief-bill\/\" class=\"icon none\">was not a part<\/a>of the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 aid package. And it\u2019s true there\u2019s a downside: Raising the minimum wage can reduce the number of jobs available. A\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cbo.gov\/system\/files\/2021-02\/56975-Minimum-Wage.pdf\" class=\"icon none\">Congressional Budget Office estimate<\/a>\u00a0on Biden\u2019s proposal says the raise would lift 900,000 people out of poverty, but it would also kill 1.4 million jobs over four years.<\/p>\n<p>That said, people who are fit to work should be encouraged to seek, not shun, employment. With unemployment benefits more than the basic minimum wage in many states, we are sending the wrong message to millions. There\u2019s more to a higher minimum wage than just more money. It also means more happiness, better health and a longer life.<\/p>\n<p><em>Utibe Effiong is a board-certified internal medicine physician and public health scientist at MidMichigan Health at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. This was first published by <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\" class=\"icon none\">The Conversation<\/a> \u2014 \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/raising-the-minimum-wage-is-a-health-issue-too-155272\" class=\"icon none\">Raising the minimum wage is a health issue,\u00a0too<\/a>\u201c.<\/em><\/p>\n<div data-layout=\"inline\n                \" data-layout-mobile=\"\" class=\"\n          media-object\n          type-InsetDynamic\n            inline\n    scope-web|mobileapps\n  article__inset\n          article__inset--type-InsetDynamic\n            article__inset--inline\n  \"><\/p>\n<div class=\"dynamic-inset-container article__inset__dynamic\">\n<style>\n    .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"] {\n        height: 1px;\n        margin-bottom: 5px;\n    }\n    .at16units .bleed .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"] {\n        height: 1px;\n    }\n    body.at12units .bleed .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"] {\n        height: 1px;\n    }\n    body .inline .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"],\n    body .offset .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"],\n    body .header .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"],\n    body.at8units .bleed .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"] {\n        height: 1px;\n    }\n    body.at4units .inline .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"],\n    body.at4units .offset .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"],\n    body.at4units .header .wsj-interactive.generic-iframe-embed[name=\"counter\"] {\n        height: 1px;\n    }\n<\/style>\n<p><iframe class=\"wsj-interactive generic-iframe-embed\" name=\"counter\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" frameborder=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/counter.theconversation.edu.au\/content\/155272\/count.gif\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<div class=\"wsj-article-caption\" itemprop=\"caption\">\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"byline article__byline\">\n<p>      <span>By<\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"author  hasMenu\" data-scrim='{\"type\":\"author\",\"header\":\"Utibe Effion\",\"subhead\":\"The Wall Street Journal\",\"list\":[]}' itemscope itemprop=\"author\" itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/Person\">\n<h4 itemprop=\"name\"><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Utibe_Effion\"><\/span>Utibe Effion<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"http:\/\/www.marketwatch.com\/news\/story.asp?guid=%7B21005575-02D4-D4B5-4572-D334C00308F4%7D&#038;siteid=rss&#038;rss=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;# Opinion: Increase the minimum wage so working pays more than being unemployed &#8221; A $15 minimum wage would be even better for improving public health Congress just missed one of its best shots at improving health when the Senate failed to advance a bill that\u00a0would have raised the minimum wage to $15 an hour&#8230;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":210077,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-210076","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210076","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=210076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/210076\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/210077"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=210076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=210076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=210076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}