Richmond
:" the biggest demographic to suffer will be that broad swath of low to middle income earners without an extended benefit plan. And how fair is that"

Presumably premiums for extended benefits would thus go up. So any increase in salary planned by the employer before charging for prescriptions started, would be forgotten. In other words the employer would have to pay the increased fee for coverage of doctor's charges. Thus can't increase salary. 

If minimum wage does not change then as you say those wage earners take a beating. 

I have said in some of my posts that there should be a Guarantied Annual Wage for the poor. Hopefully that would increase whenever an extra charge, in this case doctor's fees, increase.

I think that we are on the same street.