Socialized healthcare to boost job creation?

“American business is about maximizing shareholder value,” said Allen Sinai, chief global economist at the research firm Decision Economics. “You basically don’t want workers. You hire less, and you try to find capital equipment to replace them.”-- taken from NY Times article on how the ranks of unemployed aren't diminishing even as the recovery is taking hold in more segments of the US economy. Maybe firms would be less likely to shy away from hiring workers if the associated costs decreased (eg. healthcare, pension, etc.) Essentially, the scorned "public option" could provide incentives, particularly for the lifeblood of the US economy, small and medium-sized businesses to hire folks again, especially for full-time positions, since it seems that part-time is preferred since it doesn't carry some of the same requirements on the part of the business in terms of insurance, pension, etc.