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My total compensation has increased significantly, over the last three years - all of it in increased health care costs. My take-home has gone down.

The article builds to this conclusion:

The most optimistic explanation suggests that Americans might be on the verge of getting a long-awaited raise after all...The share of businesses saying they expect to increase compensation in the coming months is finally creeping up, and more consumers are expecting income gains in the year ahead than at any time since Lehman imploded in 2008. For the sake of the economy, public coffers and your pocketbook, let’s hope they’re right.

That huge bump you're about to get in your paycheck? It's (most of) the amount your employer had been paying for your employer-paid medical coverage, and what a coincidence! It's open-enrollment time, and you just discovered that your employer no longer offers medical insurance, and they're now paying you the premiums formerly paid to your insurance company.

It's important to note that there has to be a correlation between an employee's compensation and his or her productivity. I get into this kind of discussion with my own employees all the time.

If someone has the same skills as they did five years ago, and contributes the same (at best) to the company's bottom line, then any raise they get is actually hurting the company.