The hope is that we will observe an increase in real wages at the bottom end of the scale, which will have a very positive effect on the economy. This is eviden

The hope is that we will observe an increase in real wages at the bottom end of the scale, which will have a very positive effect on the economy. This is evidence that people have been effectively trapped in jobs just for the healthcare. I actually worked with someone (who knows python, JavaScript, c#, t/sql, etc.) who had to work loading boxes at UPS on the night shift while he was between jobs because, while he could afford to quit and look for a new job, he couldn't afford a gap in his insurance. It's not that he was sucking down tons of services either - just having a gap would have been bad news. Now I hear that jobs at Whole Foods and Starbucks are pretty good all around, but there are others that I think will rightly need to pay more going forward.