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> the patient does not pay for insurance their employer does

Not really true, as the employer could otherwise pay that money to the employee who would then shop for his own insurance. So the employee pays, but doesn't have a choice.




they could but they don't.

and salaries are stagnant. why would they pay extra? at least they're obligated to provide insurance, even if it's terrible and impenetrable


Because they compete with other employers? If an employee costs X, it doesn't matter to the employer if X is all cash to the employee or split with the insurance provider.

The entire reason health insurance got so mixed up with employment was as a workaround to WW-II era wage freezes. Employers couldn't pay more salary, so they offered other benefits including insurance to attract and retain employees. Now we're stuck with that.




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