More Americans are working freelance or on contract. That means employment benefits such as paid leave, unemployment insurance and workers’ compensation are not available to those workers. That’s why we need an entirely different benefits system for the people who don’t rely on having a single, full-time employer. Although few alternatives currently exist to the benefits system that comes with having a full-time job, a program in New York might serve as a blueprint for how we can make one for freelance workers in the future.