[jedberg]

> Are you suggesting that they should pay higher salaries to single people because they likely won't use the healthcare plan as much

Netflix does. Or at least did. They set aside money for insurance, and paid out whatever you didn't use as cash. People with spouses could just opt for the cash.

[lowkey_]

As a founder, I honestly wouldn't have expected this to be legal. AFAIK, startups aren't allowed to co-mingle salary + healthcare benefits like that.

E.g. you're breaking the law if you reimburse someone's healthcare plan directly or allow them to expense a health expense, even if you classify that as additional income for them, as opposed to having a dedicated HSA account.

Do you have a source? I'd be super interested in how it works, and I definitely may be wrong on this (I hope I am).

[jedberg]

Why wouldn't it be legal? The allocate $10,000 pretax dollars per year for health care (this was 10 years ago, it's probably more now). You select whatever plan you want. They pay the premium. They then pay you the rest as taxed compensation.

It's legal for companies to pay your health plan with pre tax dollars. Basically they just set your salary a few bucks higher each month for whatever the difference is.