Michael Mandel for the Progressive Policy Institute: Senator Schumer has made a plausible argument for why Obamacare was a political mistake. I disagree. Democratic politicians have mainly defended Obamacare on the grounds of access, fairness and cost containment. But in the process, Democrats have missed an opportunity to show how Obamacare is a platform for entrepreneurial growth. Framed correctly, Obamacare could turn out to be the heart of the new pro-growth, pro-middle class, pro-production Democratic Party.
Consider this. When I left BusinessWeek in 2009, I started my own company, Visible Economy, making news and education videos (the website and the business, alas, are no longer active). As a budding not-so-young entrepreneur, the only reason I had that choice was because I could carry over healthcare coverage from my previous employer. If I had no health insurance, I couldn’t have started the business.
