Hijack: Whatcha gonna do with the philosophy degree?
The American system is well-maligned but it's the result of capitalism. On the plus side, better companies offer better benefits to get better employees--my company offers one of the best plans in the US (Blue Cross's Personal Choice). From an economic perspective, offering a family health benefit from a top notch provider attracts the best people at all levels: from professionals to clerks, we attract a lot of candidates and get the best. (For a family of 5, the personal choice benefit is worth about $15,000/year.)
In the laissez faire capitalist system, this sounds pretty good. Of course, this does little for the people who don't qualify for jobs in my firm.