"The fact that people get a substantial part of their compensation in the form of fringe benefits ... does distort information on how pay has changed over time," he said. "There's also an argument about the cost of health care in general, and you say, okay, you're getting more... Your employer is spending more on health insurance."
Economist Ed Dolan of the Niskanen Center talks about employer-based health insurance with EconTalk host Russ Roberts. Dolan discusses how unusual it is relative to other countries that so many Americans get their health insurance through their employer and the implications of that phenomenon for the structure of the health insurance market. Dolan explores the drawbacks of this structure and makes the case for what he calls Universal Catastrophic Coverage.