Frankly, I interacted with a ton of small business owners who felt like Obamacare fucked them over, and didn't like Obama because of that.
<not directly related to "how many such people are there" or "how big an economic impact they have">
I remember having some interesting conversations with small business owners on this topic right after '08.
Ultimately, whenever I have had a chance to talk to someone, the issue boils down to EMTALA. The small business owners and their employees have the right to emergency medical care if they - for example - break their leg. Since it is not a proximate issue right in front of them all the time - they tend to feel they have no responsibility to pay for it.
Joe Schmoe the plumber was now asked to fork over $15k/year in real money, for some "abstract" benefits like:
1. ER care under EMTALA (which he got anyway, just did not pay for it earlier)
2. Insurance can't be denied or taken away for "pre-existing-conditions" - again not relevant for majority, but only if you are unfortunate to have the situation.
It's no wonder he will be mad, especially when the right skillfully managed the outrage!!
I'm not sure if there was any alternative though!!
Should Joe Schmoe have continued to enjoy EMTALA-mandated ER care guarantee without paying anything into it? Should John Doe have continued uninsured because he has a pre-existing condition (which is - like - half of the population)?
The political right (that skillfully managed this outrage) wasn't even interested in exploring any alternatives when ACA negotiations were happening. I found it confusing at that time. But the reasons are clear to me now once I have learned to see through what libertarians and the political right nominally profess, and understand that they are allergic to the concept of "personal responsibility" (cite: Rand Paul continuing to infect others while waiting for test results).