>"Healthcare was only ever offered as a perk because employers could pay for it pre-tax instead of post tax, but individual employees could not do the same with

>"Healthcare was only ever offered as a perk because employers could pay for it pre-tax instead of post tax, but individual employees could not do the same with their own money." This is completely false. Employer-based healthcare was a consequence of World War 2. The US Congress passed 1942 Stabilization Act in order to combat inflation. As a result of this legislation employers could not compete for workers using wages alone. Employers then began to offer health benefits a perk and since that perk was not compensation it was not taxed. This fact is actually well-documented.[1][2]. It was offered in lieu of compensation and pre-tax vs post-tax status had nothing to do with the birth of this. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabilization_Act_of_1942 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stabilization_Act_of_1942 [2] https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-obamacare-health-care-employers-20170224-story.html https://www.chicagotribune.com/opinion/commentary/ct-obamaca...