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The impact of unemployment on health has been thoroughly studied over the years, and there is no reasonable doubt that it has a detrimental effect upon health. The unemployed and their families consult with their doctors more often, and it has been shown that, among other things, weight gain, smoking, drug taking, attempted suicide and suicide itself are distinctly higher in the unemployed. The conclusion was that in 1994, unemployment cost the Health Service about £401,000,000 per annum. In BILLS OF HEALTH not only are the health implications spelled out, but also a solution is offered. The author, who was Health spokesperson for the UK Green Party, puts forward a way of breaking out of the unemployment and poverty traps imposed by social welfare benefit systems common in Western economies. He proposes a modified form of the Citizen's (or Basic) Income which allocates a basic benefit to every citizen, irrespective of their work status. The scheme will break people out of the unemployment trap that established benefit systems create, and turns benefit from a liability to a stimulus to the economy, by allowing claimants to take their benefit with them when they find good work. Good work to be done in the "green sector" of the economy is set out, and the number of jobs which could be created are estimated by various means. The number of new jobs waiting to be done are roughly equivalent to the number of people without work in the UK. In addition, it is shown that savings in the macro economy could pay for the cost of the additional work without needing extra taxation. (Details here)
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