| The current "system" is very hostile to small business. I don't think the average person realizes how bad it is. I abandoned a financially successful independent contracting business of 15 years and went back to being an employee (ugh) because the Republican efforts to repeal the ACA freaked me out. I'm old enough that my wife and I both have some pre-existing non-chronic conditions, and I have a young daughter. Paying ~$20K of premiums annually for the privilege of having a $13K deductible was grudgingly acceptable to me. The uncertainty was not. The stress of wondering if insurance was going to be available year-to-year (in the final year I operated the business my County had exactly one marketplace plan available) was extreme. I happened to get a job offer from a Customer. I decided that, though I swore I'd never be anybody's employee again, it was irresponsible in light of the efforts by the GOP to repeal the ACA to continue gambling that insurance would be available. I had a taste of being uninsured in 2014 when, on pre-ACA grandfathered insurance, I had to pay out-of-pocket for treatment related to a pre-existing condition that wasn't covered. The idea of just how close we all are to a medically-induced bankruptcy really hit me at that point. My quality of life is much worse now. I used to bill in 20 hours what I now have to report to the office "40 hours" to earn. I used to be able to spend more time with my family. I used to have the flexibility to make decisions about how and when I wanted to work, take time off, etc. My Customers, some of whom I'd worked with for 10+ years, ended up stuck going with drastically more expensive (and less attentive and skilled) "managed services" companies to service their IT needs. The emails and calls that I get regularly asking for my help, along with the out-right statements to the fact, tell me that the situation for them isn't better either. It's a racket. |