I don't think he's playing himself up so much as he is presenting a struggle of whether or not to provide it and the realization that he must (not from a legal,

I don't think he's playing himself up so much as he is presenting a struggle of whether or not to provide it and the realization that he must (not from a legal, but from a moral perspective). And while it may be common in the tech industry (where VC money can make it easier -- and frankly its hard to recruit w/o it), it's less common outside of the tech industry. I still think it is odd to tie health insurance to employment, but given that this is the case today, I do think that I'd do the same as a small business owner. If I couldn't afford it (at least by the medium-term), I think I'd have to question the feasibility of my business.