>Not in the U.S. AFAIK. Every employer-sponsored medical plan I have seen is optional. Each employee decides whether they want the plan (often with a choice of plans) and the payroll deductions that go with it.
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>So why is the employer's health/dental plan such a significant issue for jobseekers? Fact is that many people *need* the benefits of an employer's socialized scheme because of pre-existing conditions, cost of singleton policies, lack of negotiating muscle if it's you vs the insurer... socializing is the typical response to protect against the powerful and their expediencies.
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>You are correct that this is voluntary, just as wearing a coat in Chicago in December is voluntary.

I am uncomfortable with the word socialism in this context but agree that most people do want health insurance and are willing to pay for it. The only exception I can think of is the young, who think they are immortal. (Those were the days....)