The 2008 Health Insurance rates offered by my county chamber of commerce arrived in the mail today. As the owner of a brand new sole proprietorship business, husband and father to three children under five, I start my 2008 fiscal year $9,600 in the hole for a $3000 deductable family policy. If I chose an HSA with a $3500 deductable, I'll start the year $7,600 in the hole. And with an HSA, the annual costs are sure to be higher, as I would pay for all doctors visits, drugs, xrays, tests, with no cost-share with the insurer.
Health insurance is a major impediment to owning a small business and shreds the entrepeneurial spirit. It is not a tax that will come back to in the form of better roads, better education, or a sustainable energy policy. This is a transfer of wealth, plain and simple.