September 20, 2009

Public forum: What health care reform means for entrepreneurs

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If you're a past or present employee who thinks the health insurance woes of the self-employed aren't your concern, you're wrong. According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, small businesses make up 99.7 percent of all employers and hire more than half all private sector employees. In 2006, companies with fewer than 20 people on staff employed 21.6 million Americans.

In other words, today's kitchen table entrepreneur could very well be your employer two, five, or ten years down the line.

By now we've all heard the scary health insurance statistics: 46 million Americans uninsured, 25 million more underinsured, medical bills being the leading cause of bankruptcy in this country, the uninsured being far more likely to die, and so on.

But what you may not know is that a July study conducted by The Commonwealth Fund found that more than half of Americans polled who have an individual health insurance policy (as opposed to an employer's group plan) pay monthly premiums and out-of-pocket medical costs totaling at least 10 percent of their income.

In addition, nearly three-quarters of those polled who looked into buying their own health care coverage in the past three years didn't go through with it. According to The Commonwealth Fund, the pricy premiums scared them away.

I've gassed on before about the lengths the self-employed sometimes go to in order to score some of that almighty, far-more-comprehensive group plan coverage. (Among the more unusual strategies: Premature nuptials and low-paid part-time jobs.)

In New York, the Freelancers Union has been successful in both forming its own group insurance plan and convincing Governor Paterson to pass a law giving New York's independent workers access to group-rate health insurance. Unfortunately, the Freelancers Union has yet to offer its souped-up insurance plan to independent workers in Washington state.

But Puget Sound independents are organizing in other ways: Biznik, the locally founded social networking site for the self-employed, surveyed its members this month and found that nearly one in five of them have no health insurance. To work on changing this disheartening statistic, Biznik, in partnership with Seattle University, is hosting a forum called "Health Reform, Entrepreneurship, and Your Business" from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Thursday, September 24.

"American entrepreneurs deserve to compete on the same level playing field that every other wealthy nation in the world plays on -- where they can spend their time worrying about how to run their business, rather than how to pay their medical bills," said Dan McComb, co-founder of Biznik, who will moderate the panel. 

"We like to think that America is the most entrepreneurial nation on earth," McComb added. "It's not actually: Turkey and Peru have much higher per capita rates of business formation than we do, with the U.S. coming in number seven on the list. Part of our problem is that would-be entrepreneurs are trapped in jobs they hate because they would lose their health insurance if they left them to start the business of the future. In effect, our broken system is putting a lid on the American Dream."

Panelists at his discussion will include a representative of the King County Public Health Department, the head of the Washington State Medical Association, a small business owner who supports public health reform, and one who favors private reform. Questions and comments from attendees are highly encouraged.

Immediately following the event, Biznik will draft a formal statement urging our region's elected officials to act on our country's health care crisis. For more information about this forum, visit Biznik.com.

Michelle Goodman is the author of "My So-Called Freelance Life" and "The Anti 9-to-5 Guide." E-mail Michelle at mgoodman@nwjobs.com

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1 Comments

Darrell Kirk on September 24, 2009 1:08 PM | Reply

Thanks to Michelle Goodman, Seattle Times, and Biznik for getting this information out.

In a word, we should be ashamed of our current system and work toward a solution that provides a decent level of care for all Americans. Such a solution will present many compromises to our current level of care, especially to those individuals who have come to expect, and are able to receive health insurance.
Some of these compromises will be longer wait times for care, as in the Canadian Health Care System which "rations-out" healthcare to those most needy at the time. Waiting for health care is a foreign concept to Americans and a bit disconcerting also. But, how many Americans are waiting for health care now? In fact, are we waiting much longer than Canadians for treatment? What about the unemployed American with a serious health issue who hopes to delay treatment until his insurance takes effect thus avoiding a pre existing condition? What about the American who has a good job, has a great insurance plan, but is struck down by a grave illness that bankrupts his family? Are Americans not waiting for health care now?

Until all Americans, or at least a great majority of them can find compassion for their fellow countrymen, I don't see how we can fix our current system. All the Europeans I've talked with are very proud of the fact that their fellow countrymen receive health care. Perhaps not the best health care, but decent health care nonetheless.

I don't know if you call it compassion, some including the poor might call it charity, but at what point do we find the pain too great not to compromise our own lifestyle and see to it that our fellow man is cared for.

Individuals, by nature, are selfish. At the same time we choose behavior that enhances our survival. Our current health care system and those lucky to participate in it cannot go forward without creating insurmountable social ills that will ultimately bring down the "high" standard of living we are all accustomed to. Again, at what point do we find the pain great enough to demand that all Americans receive health care?

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