>There's no reason contractors can't buy health insurance Likewise, with the individual mandate removed, there's no reason employees can't opt out of health in

>There's no reason contractors can't buy health insurance Likewise, with the individual mandate removed, there's no reason employees can't opt out of health insurance. But in both cases, the pay does not change. If I opt out of health insurance, and save my company hundreds of dollars per paycheck, I do not get a raise in that amount. The incentive then is to accept health insurance as a employee and do without as a contractor. The problem for everyone is uninsured contractors will also have incentive to avoid treatment as long as possible due to the expense. By the time they seek treatment, the cost of treating the problem has ballooned. They won't be turned away, they won't be able to pay, and hospitals won't go out of business. I'll let you guess who ends up paying for the outsized medical bills they generate.