The job-based insurance system in USA is so bogus.
The job-based insurance system in USA is so bogus.
The short term effect would be an increase in costs but no increase in pay for most people.
A switch from employer-pay to government-pay should be a no-op for employees with employer health insurance. But in a naive scheme, it isn't. The burden for paying for health insurance moves from the employer to the employee (through increased taxes). The employer benefits because they stop paying for health insurance, the employee pays the costs.
Voters, who are mostly employees, would hate it.
OTOH, an on-paper pay raise for employees that doesn't cost the employer anything? That'll be much more politically palatable. "Both your taxes and your salary go up 10%" is a lot more palatable than "Your taxes go up 10%".