> Be FDR, institute WWII wage controls > Business still wants to attract employees > They offer health insurance > In 1943 IRS rules it a non-taxable benefit > Massively expands bc now it's an incredible tax-free perk > Permanently politically entrenches it Oops.

I also agree it's bad that healthcare is connected to employment in the US and would much prefer a universal system. But it arose for specific reasons, not out of the ether.

Imagine the uprising today if you tried to institute a nationwide wage freeze to control inflation, which actually did happen in 1942 lol

In all fairness to FDR, economics as a discipline was less advanced at the time, inflation was a very real issue, and the country was fighting a two-front war against the Axis.