What do you think of a host that puts all your websites on the same IP?

I have a couple of sites in the one niche.

I have two sites that link between each other in the one niche.

They were created a year apart, so even though they were with the one host, just the nature of business meant that they would be on different IP addresses. Unless they had less than 50 customers a year ...

I recently had to upgrade the cms on both sites, and because their servers had old php and low memory, they had to move my sites.

THEY PUT BOTH SITES ON THE SAME IP.

With all the interlinking between the sites (yes I know there is a limit), clearly google would not value them having the same IP, in fact they might be penalised. (speculation only).

I had a long discussion with the host tech just then, who told me that I should expect to be on the same IP, because I am on 'shared hosting plans'.

I said that originally I wasn't on the same IP, and that no seo person would expect a hosting company to be so **** as to put two sites of the same niche with links between them on the same IP.

A shared IP is low cost, but since I am paying for two separate hosting plans, with the same host, I was expecting they would be on different IPs. This is the continuing discussion I am having with the host - as the tech guy said there was nothing they could do.

Ideally I should be on another host with a different C block, but at the moment I would settle for the IPs being as far apart as possible.

Do you think that is required still, or that the host is right?