Affordable Care Act Helping To Create Jobs

Among the benefits of the Affordable Care, beyond expanding health care coverage and lowering costs, has been to create more jobs. Bloomberg News reports:

More than 90 new health-care companies employing as many as 6,200 people have been created in the U.S. since Obamacare became law, a level of entrepreneurial activity that participants say may be unprecedented for the industry.

Zenefits, which provides human-resources software and acts as a health-insurance broker for small employers, wouldn’t exist without the law, said Parker Conrad, the firm’s chief executive officer. Since the Affordable Care Act’s inception in April 2013, the San Francisco-based company has grown to more than 900 employees. That makes it the largest firm among dozens that have sprouted in the law’s wake, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers, which issued a report on the trend this week.

The health law, which took full effect in 2014, represents the most dramatic change to the U.S. health system in 50 years. Entrepreneurs, including some from within President Barack Obama’s administration, have founded companies that target employers, health insurers, hospitals, doctors and consumers looking to navigate new requirements and possibilities.

The article discussed this further. It also debunked the Republican claims that the law would be a jobs killer, as PolitiFact also did recently.

The Affordable Care Act can also increase jobs another way. By freeing people to leave their current jobs with large companies without fear of losing insurance coverage, more people can leave to create new companies.

Despite the many benefits of the Affordable Care Act, large numbers of people remain misinformed. Sara Kliff reviewed this at Vox, noting common misconceptions persisting about the cost of the law,many incorrectly believing that illegial immigrants can obtain coverage, and many still believing that there are death panels.

Update: The latest to benefit from Obamacare–Ted Cruz