Jonathan Swanson President and Cofounder, Thumbtack.com: Helping our pros get covered

Jonathan Swanson

Like most business owners, I spend a lot of time looking at numbers. Are revenues up? Are costs down? The business owners my company serve have many different professions -- roofer, caterer, personal trainer, to name just a few -- but we all share one thing in common: we are all our own accountants.

Health care is one of the most expensive aspects of running a new business. So when we started to survey the professionals we serve, particularly the young professionals who are starting a new business, I was not surprised to learn that one in three say that health care is on their minds.

That's why I'm excited to join a conversation about health care at the White House today on how we can help get more young professionals get covered.

Availability of benefits like health insurance is a major obstacle to individuals looking to start their businesses. Many of these small business owners continue to struggle to find and keep coverage and are still uninsured in greater numbers than other Americans.

By helping decouple benefits from traditional employment arrangements, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has made a huge difference to many of our professionals, including young entrepreneurs, who are now able to stay on a parent's health insurance plan until the age of 26 or to buy affordable coverage through the Health Insurance Marketplace or HealthCare.gov.

As Joe, a photographer from Maryland, told us, "Before Obamacare, I never would have been able to start my business."

We understand that the ACA has stirred passions from all quarters, but there is no question that making benefits like health care available to more individuals makes it easier for people to start and run their own small businesses. As Nicole, a wellness professional from California, told us:

"I have several pre-existing medical conditions and had been without health insurance for quite some time. When the new system came out, I was finally able to get coverage. Knowing that I will always be able to see a doctor has lifted a giant weight off my shoulders." 

Jonathan Swanson  

At Thumbtack, we are honored to be part of helping entrepreneurs like Nicole step out on their own -- and it benefits our economy as a whole. And it's why we'll keep sharing information with them about health care and the upcoming Open Enrollment period starting on November 1.

You can check out today's conversation and learn more about how the ACA can could help you and your business. 

Jonathan Swanson
President and Cofounder, Thumbtack.com