Should employees have free health insurance?

Answer 1

it depends who you are working for but normally..........no

This is a politically charged question but I believe I have an answer for you.

There is nothing free. Someone has to pay for it. "Free health insurance" usually means paid for by an employer. If it doesn't come out of your pay, it is considered free.

But here is a more pragmatic way to look at the question. An employer is not going to have you on the payroll unless you produce, either directly or indirectly, enough income to the company to pay what it costs to have you on the payroll. In other words, when you add up everything it costs an employer to have you on the payroll, including wages AND benefits (retirement, health care, sick leave, holidays...everything) you have to be at least that valuable to the company or you won't keep your job long.

It doesn't matter where you cut the pie. If you get a wage and your employer pays your benefits, or you get a much higher wage and pay your benefits yourself, the cost of having you on the payroll is nearly the same if the benefits are the same.

This is important when negotiating a contract and many employers wish more employees understood this. For the record I am a construction worker and work under a collective bargaining agreement and this is how we approach every contract negotiation.