> Knock on wood but, myself and pretty much everybody I know has insurance covered ~75% through our full time employers.
That is money that would otherwise be given to you in the form of salary, so, yeah, you're paying for it even if it doesn't seem like it.
Historically, the main reason for employer-provided health insurance in the U.S. is that it provided a loophole to increase effective employee compensation in a tax-free manner.
My employer dropped dental insurance a few years ago. They never gave me a pay bump to compensate. Now I spend $1,600/year on cleanings for a family of 4. At least it is out of my HSA, so pre-tax.
They likely dropped it due to budget issues, so of course they weren't going to give you a pay bump. If they had dropped it simply because there was no need to give it to you, you'd probably see a pay bump, or at least faster salary growth in future years.
That is money that would otherwise be given to you in the form of salary, so, yeah, you're paying for it even if it doesn't seem like it.
Historically, the main reason for employer-provided health insurance in the U.S. is that it provided a loophole to increase effective employee compensation in a tax-free manner.