America's Innovators Call for Health Care Reform to Unlock Jobs of the Future

[The Straight Story]

America's Innovators Call for Health Care Reform to Unlock Jobs of the Future
Posted by Aneesh Chopra on December 20, 2009 at 01:15 PM EST

To emerge from the most severe economic downturn since the Great Depression, we are depending on entrepreneurs and start-ups -- young and small businesses -- to do what they have historically done for the United States: fuel economic growth by creating a disproportionate share of the new jobs we need. As President Obama's Chief Technology Officer, I devote much of my energy to creating a fertile environment for high-technology start-ups in areas like information technology, clean energy, biotech, transportation, manufacturing, and robotics.

To get a better understanding of their needs and concerns, I've met with entrepreneurs, CEOs, and venture capitalists from Silicon Valley to Chicago to Virginia. And I've gotten one message repeatedly: The high cost of health insurance is inhibiting our growth. We can't afford to provide the same health benefits as larger companies -- or, in the case of many new start-ups, any health benefits at all. Due to the burden of health insurance, we can't hire the people we need to grow. There's even a term for this: "Job lock."

In other words, America's innovators -- those who are creating the jobs of the future -- are being held back by our health insurance system. They find it hard to launch, hard to hire top talent, hard to expand, and hard to compete internationally. The reasons are clear: Premiums have more than doubled in the last decade. Small businesses pay 18% more for coverage than their larger counterparts, and their premium rates can rise precipitously depending on the health of the workforce. Rather than spend their money to create a new product, hire new workers, or pay higher wages, start-ups and small businesses have to finance increasingly expensive health benefits.

more at link:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2009/12/18/industries-future-weigh-need-health-reform

[leftstreet]

1. 10 million Medical Claims Denial Specialists!

Here come the jobs!

[golddigger]

2. No shit!

[Deja Q]

5. Just do it by computer

An algorithm looks for key words, which can be programmed.

The moment a key word is found, "DENIED" is written and sent back automatically.

[Oregone]

3. Seems like fixing the trade agreements would of been a more direct route

What, we going to unlock em all in China or something?

[laughingliberal]

4. The for profit employer based system we have now has, without a doubt, stifled innovation and kept

people who, otherwise, would have started a little company enslaved to their jobs. One of the great potential benefits of health care reform was to correct this. Shame they passed on an opportunity which would have allowed those who have benefits at work to move on. As the bill stands now, most middle class workers will find the premiums prohibitive.

[timeforpeace]

6. What freakin bs. The opposite will happen. Any jobs created will be pencil pushing/middleman stuff.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

7. my work brings me face to face with this,

The firm I work for represents foreign companies operating in the US and those who might wish to and vice-versa. I have seen more projects die - some enormous as a foreign company comes to realize just how expensive it is to maintain a US workforce because of healthcare costs.

I recently watched a French company abandon establishing an enormous facility in San Diego that would have employed ~400 people. Top shelf professional positions.

After a year and a half of planning, once the healthcare figures came in it took FIVE MINUTES for the plan to go from "_________ of America Ltd." to regional sales offices. They even scrapped setting up US based customer service. Dial their 1-800 number and your calling their office in Scotland.

This same story plays out a dozen times every week as foreign companies look at the US and say "Fuuuuck"

[roamer65]

8. We have to emulate their socialized medicine systems...

so we can simply become cost competitve in the world economy. The Eurozone, UK and Canada are beating us just on health care costs alone. I have been speaking this to fellow Americans for years, but most of "us" are too stupid to understand it.

Basic economics, really.


I'm glad to hear you give real examples of the problem.

[Sen. Walter Sobchak]

10. the tax delusion

There is a popular perception among Americans that EVERY OTHER COUNTRY ON EARTH taxes it citizens into abject poverty and every foreign company is some sort of communist make-work project.

[dysfunctional press]

9. single-payer would be the BEST jobs program EVER.