Yeah I hear you, and hear the sarcasm.

Just to add to your thought, I originally didn’t think employers really wanted to hold their employees health hostage.

That’s clearly untrue in plenty of cases (due respect to people who have this lived experience). If people could retain quality healthcare even moving to a new position, employers would have to do other things to influence them to stay. It doesn’t affect all companies, but a fair percentage.

I guess I didn’t understand why state legislators would care enough. I thought more people were employees than employers, and maybe that’s just not true in the majority of highly rural counties in NC. Lots of small businesses, where even the employees want low employer costs so their positions (underpaid as they are) still exist. Low pay is still better than no pay.

All that said, this is why it’s a decision to be made at a high level and not low level. High level sees value overall, and can (and tries to) provide extra funding where it is most needed.