I see a lot of flyers around campus and comments on politically-related blogs professing that companies, universities, etc. have an obligation to their employees to provide healthcare benefits.

I think that’s wrong.  Unless one is a part of an organization that exclusively provides healthcare, no enterprise has an obligation to give anybody benefits — any benefits at all.  These organizations are in existence to create products, to educate, whatever.  Not hand out healthcare benefits.

Now, of course, people are usually rational…me, for example, if I was presented with benefits for even a nominal cost — heck yeah, I’d take it!  Getting something for free (or close to free) is always the path of least resistance.

Just a thought.