Who in this country has health insurance they can count on? Generally, people who work for large companies, for government, for large institutions and the like. People over 65 have Medicare. Very low income people ($10,000 and less) have Medicaid. So who is left?
Most importantly, people who work for, own, or are a small business. It is well known that small business provides 50% of the employment in this country (small business defined as 500 employees or less). Moreover, it is a fundamental tenant of the free market economy idea that it's the entrepreneurial spirit that continually refreshes the economy with new ideas, new products, new ways of doing things. Its new businesses that often are the key to the future.
But, one of the greatest deterrents to anyone thinking of starting a new business venture in this country right now is the cost of health insurance. How many people with a small business right now are slow to hire for that reason? How many are laying off for that reason? How many people who might have a good idea and might try to run with it don't, because they can't afford health insurance.
How many people operating as sole proprietors over the last 10 years gave up and signed on with some large organization for that exact reason. How many people stay in a "safe" job for that reason, when otherwise they might try something else in the pursuit of a good idea?
Fixing health care can be framed as a key to unlocking the very thing that can pull us out of recession and provide for this country's future economic prosperity. What the free market people so loudly tout as our economic savior is in fact being stifled right now by the problems in our health care system. By addressing the health care problem we could free the ingenuity of Americans to go back to pursuing good ideas.
We should turn that back on them, not by bemoaning the problems of small business people but by pointing out the gains that encouraging small business development can bring. Make it a positive argument, not a negative one. People respond to that better.
Our arguments need to appeal to the lives of real people, not just to political theater and theory. There is are a tremendous number of people out there who fit into these categories, who are scared right now and can be appealed to, if done in the right way. Even some Republicans.
I think there is something to this, it's a angle I haven't heard yet in all this discussion, but I think its one that could resonate. And please - if your think there's merit here, give me a rec or this diary will sink beneath the waves all too fast.