I don't understand why he's playing himself up so much for providing healthcare to employees. Of the 3 startups I've worked at, 2 provided healthcare and 1 provided a healthy allowance toward private coverage. All of them I suspect were smaller than NSFWCORP.
I thought this was the default, even for startups. If it's not, it should be.
I don't think he's playing himself up so much as he is presenting a struggle of whether or not to provide it and the realization that he must (not from a legal, but from a moral perspective).
And while it may be common in the tech industry (where VC money can make it easier -- and frankly its hard to recruit w/o it), it's less common outside of the tech industry.
I still think it is odd to tie health insurance to employment, but given that this is the case today, I do think that I'd do the same as a small business owner. If I couldn't afford it (at least by the medium-term), I think I'd have to question the feasibility of my business.
Just as soon as yesterday, I read about a guy on Something Awful who had a stroke and no employer-provided healthcare.
Maybe if you only assume the audience to be a very narrow demographic, you could be right statistically, but this is an issue that extends far beyond just the Valley, Alley, etc.
I thought this was the default, even for startups. If it's not, it should be.