A crying shame

It really is a crying shame when start-ups and small businesses have to worry more about paying for health insurance than any of the other challenges they face. One small business owner was quoted in The NY Times article, "Health Care at a Premium", as saying "It's definitely causing me to consider going back into the job market."

According to the article, the high costs of health insurance is deterring some people from beginning their own business. Who could blame them? You pay high insurance premiums, and you're still at risk of not being covered when you really need it (please read our Sept. 22nd entry). One small business owner said, "When we worked for someone else, life was good. We had plenty of money and health care. Now we live with the constant fear of something. You never know, you just hold your breath. We will probably have one of us go back and get a full-time job at some point." When premiums for small businesses are rising at a faster rate than larger companies, some entrepreneurs have no choice.

However, this should not be.

This is a nation of the American dream, where anyone can start his/her own business--- and should be encouraged to do so. There are already too many challenges for small businesses--- high premiums for heath insurance should not be one of them.

What can we do about this?