Wouldn't that be relative, too? Eg if "total wage"'s point was to show lost benefits, the cost in the implied benefits would be relative to what those benefits

Wouldn't that be relative, too? Eg if "total wage"'s point was to show lost benefits, the cost in the implied benefits would be relative to what those benefits relieve you from. Which is to say, insurance these days might be worth vastly more than it was in 1968, since Healthcare costs have skyrocketed for the uninsured.