Not to make this too political, but this is the big issue no one talks about when discussing healthcare. For many small businesses, providing health insurance is a major cost, and a major distraction from their core business.
Whenever I talk to my conservative friends I try and point this out. Many entrepeneurs with kids who might be out there 'creating jobs' can't because the healthcare industry owns our politicians.
I've said this a few times here, and I'll say it again - I was able to start two businesses in Massachusetts precisely because of the MA health reform, i.e. "RomneyCare" (which, for the underattentive, has roughly the same model as the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. "ObamaCare").
As a self-employed Bay Stater, I am in complete agreement. I have a self-employed buddy in Hartford, he applied for health insurance with a CT agent. The questionaire he had to fill out for the application asked if he had ever felt depressed - not diagnosed as clinically depressed, just if he had ever been depressed. Well, as anyone who has ever worked for themselves can understand, it's hard to not ever experience a moment or two of depression. He answered honestly 'yes'; the agent told him that counted as a pre-existing condition and he was denied coverage.
I am so grateful that is something I didn't have to deal with on MA.
Not just those who are self employed, I think pretty much anyone that is human has probably felt depressed at one time or another. This seems similar to all the pharmaceutical commercials where they try to convince you that you need medication if you have ever felt tired, sore, nervous, etc.
It really does seem like a huge distraction from building a business that not only do you have to find and pay for health insurance, but that you have to run a gauntlet just for the opportunity to possibly be able to buy insurance.
Whenever I talk to my conservative friends I try and point this out. Many entrepeneurs with kids who might be out there 'creating jobs' can't because the healthcare industry owns our politicians.