Before I accepted my job, as part of the offer process, I needed to get detailed health insurance information from HR so I could determine whether or not we could afford the changes. I’m sure they thought it was a little weird but it’s absolutely critical for us. Wife is a Type 1 diabetic with an insulin pump and glucose monitor and coverage varies wildly.

The healthcare to employment tie probably made a lot more sense back in the post WWII days when it was rolled out and healthcare cost a fraction of what it does today. Now? Not so much. It does keep people planted where they are. One of us needs to have a stable job with decent predictable health insurance. That means me working in the public sector, but even our benefits aren’t anything to write home about anymore.