Which is part of a reasonable benefits package. So you're arguing that, in addition to underpaying base comp, they also want to bypass a competitive benefits package--but that may not be obvious to young people who don't think they need insurance.
I think the parent is trying to make the case that startups by nature can't provide competitive healthcare, which hurts the economy when small business can't attract top people.
It's much different than a 401k, free meals, foosball table, vacation policy, etc, in that once you experience a major health problem you are compromising your health or face prohibitive costs if you are on a mediocre healthcare plan.
They're trying to make that case. Healthcare plans (for the time being) are available outside of employers but are not inexpensive. If the company can't either provide a plan or pay employees enough to buy a plan on their own, they're simply providing inadequate compensation.
I've worked for smaller companies in the IT industry and salaries haven't been Google level but I've always had a decent benefits package, including healthcare.
