We don't have those premiums in Australia, and many of us only have private healthcare because we get taxed more if we don't... because of the good public healt

We don't have those premiums in Australia, and many of us only have private healthcare because we get taxed more if we don't... because of the good public health system it's not required. Our payment is A$320 (US$230) for a family of 4. But wages are still stagnant here. AFAICT US employers cover healthcare because that's how it's historically set up, and that's now the expectation. So if they tried to pull back on paying it, even with the crazy increases, employees would walk. Whereas here, health insurance has nothing to do with employment. But in both our cases, there's little providing upward pressure on "direct" wages.