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Comment by nawitus | Hacker News Reader

Yes. There is of course still a negotiation of benefits on top of the standard contract, I'm not paid minimum wage. If I could remove some benefits I don't need from my own, personal contract this would give me leverage to get something else in return. A slightly higher wage if nothing else.

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Possibly although in my experience in the US the flexibility to change benefits is limited. I have choice in things like health plans but that's mostly about how much I want to pay on top of an employer contribution. Most of the disability, life insurance, etc. benefits aren't negotiable afaik (and are probably much better deals from the company anyway).

It depends on the employer. If you're under 35, and in decent health, you're likely better off getting disability and life insurance on your own. Your premiums will be lower than from a group plan, which usually takes some average demographics to determine the group premiums. If your employer is paying the premiums, you're better off if you can decline the benefit, get yourself a lower premium plan, and pocket the difference.

Conversely, if you're older, or have health issues, those group plans can be a steal of a deal.

That may be true although, to the broader point, I've never seen those sorts of benefits be optional (albeit across a fairly small sample size). Employers get a good deal precisely because there's going to be a lot of adverse selection with these sorts of things. Healthy single 20-somethings get a pretty good deal on their own but most of them won't even bother.

That's because of federal tax laws regarding benefits, sadly.

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