I don't mean to brag, but I became something of a volunteer political consultant during the 2008 elections, firing off emails and yelling advice at my television screen when Democratic candidates talked about health care reform. "Small business! TALK ABOUT HOW OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM IS KNEECAPPING SMALL BUSINESS...GAH! JUST....! GAH!!!"
FINALLY. In his latest address, Obama brings into hard focus the impact of our health care system on small business.
FINALLY.
I've been waiting for this to get specific, focused attention for a LONG TIME.
They are getting crushed by skyrocketing health care costs,” Mr. Obama said. “Because they lack the bargaining power that large businesses have and face higher administrative costs per person, small businesses pay up to 18 percent more for the very same health insurance plans — costs that eat into their profits and get passed on to their employees.
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Part of me wonders if Obama has been keeping this frame in his back pocket to knock people off the fence at the last second and blow the fiscal conservatives back on their heels.
Let's face it. There is a significant number of people untouched by the Human Suffering or Human Dignity angle. They either explain it away, blame the victim, or suggest some Monday Morning quarterbacking to those personally affected by our shitty system, suggesting that they're hurting because they took a wrong turn somewhere...zigged when they should have zagged.
For those people, no amount of personal horror stories will convince them.
That's why I'm glad Obama is moving to this small biz angle.
Especially because it's true. It's so, frickin', true.
Small businesses are being crushed by yearly insurance premium rate hikes...every year more of their profits are siphoned off and sent to an insurance company. Not the Federal Government. Not the State. To an insurance company. And they're paying more, for less quality, than the larger businesses. Meanwhile larger businesses then have a competitive advantage in insurance compensation offerings for hiring the most skilled or experienced workers. If we're looking for a way to keep small businesses with fresh ideas out of the pool, we've got it.
Business simulations done by the NFIB and other organizations have projected that 1.6 million jobs could be lost in the next 4 years because of rising health care costs. Out of these 1.6 million jobs lost, small businesses would account for more than 1 million or 66 percent of all jobs lost.
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Not to mention the ambitious people with pre-existing, life threatening conditions who stay at a low wage job rather than start a new business that employs people simply because the low wage job at least offers some sort of coverage in a group plan.
Obama seemed to be speaking directly to the small business person in this address, making it a point to tell the skittish, trembling conservative ones they will not be forced to insure their employees...but they will be given a strong incentive to. Unlike now where incentive is being lost by the hour.
Obama gets it. While Republican hypocrites are jumping and yelling about a small rise in the minimum wage, they let health insurance companies raise their own rates year after year after year after year after year and the Republicans don't say a damn thing. Apparently it's fine if the money is going to Big Business.