The biggest damper on the US economy is

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

healthcare! Think of all the people who are trapped in jobs they dislike because they are yoked to their medical benefits. If we ever did finally get universal healthcare, the energy and brilliance that would be released into the economy would be amazing. I think you would find a huge burst of small business start-ups.

The only people who benefit from the crappy system in place are big Pharma,lobbyists, and our political hacks who sell their souls for campaign contributions and future lobbying positions for themselves.

[Deja Q]

1. And employers finding any means to get the employees out the door...

[NC_Nurse]

2. I am certainly not benefitting

from the current system. Somebody's making a killing, but it sure isn't those of us who are actually taking care of people.

[unblock]

3. yes! think of what a drag it is on BUSINESS to have to provide healthcare

i don't understand why BUSINESS (other than big pharma) doesn't unite to get healthcare taken care of via taxes so that they no longer need to offer it as a benefit.

business would be able to instantly cut labor costs. a higher percentage of salary would be actual cash to the worker. i don't understand why businesses aren't clammoring for this.

[madrchsod]

6. i`ve have been trying to figure this out too.....

i think one of the main reasons is--freedom of choice. if i had health care insurance i could shop around for the best job that suits me. small business could expand without the burden of health care costs. tens of thousands of people could do what they want to earn money-start their own business,part time work,and other adventures to make a living.the society would be free of the burden of a two tiered medical system where costs and payments are growing in opposite directions..yes it`s all about freedom of choice and the ability of business to attract the best workers by bribing them with health care benefits...

[B Calm]

11. I think they enjoy having their hold on employees and having

an excuse to keep wages low.

[eallen]

4. Interesting observation. As someone self-employed for many years...

I'm not sure how much credence to put into it. There's certainly a sense in which insurance is an issue. I make do with a high-deductible, catastrophic medical policy. The upside is that it's not too expensive (~$170/month). The downside is that it pays for very little, unless I suffer a major illness or injury.

On the other hand, my observation is that the vast majority of people just won't bear the uncertainty of not knowing where their next month's income is, except that they go out and make some kind of deal. Even if that would garner them more income and more free time in the long run, they are unwilling either to suffer the short-term uncertainty, or to learn how to continually look for the next opportunity. The need to go out and get your own medical insurance, which I realize is much more feasible when you're healthy, strikes me still as the smaller part of what is needed to strike out on one's own.

But I agree whole-heartedly that we should not arrange things to inhibit that kind of entrepeneurialism, and should structure taxes and insurance to encourage it.

[applegrove]

5. Health Care hurts productivity of corporations. Public health care only

hurts people importing shit from China and selling it in malls (if you tax sales to pay for health care..meaning the teenagers with money falling out of their pockets pay $7 for every $100 to the health care system).

[applegrove]

10. To be clear... Universal Health care helps productivity for corporations.

[ktlyon]

7. I think it is the debt and the deficit

yes health care is a big deal too

[robcon]

8. I think it is high school dropouts

There are no more unskilled, well-paying jobs left in the economy.

[B Calm]

9. I've often thought how different this country could be with

universal healthcare...

[and-justice-for-all]

12. BushCo.