He has a bachelor of science degree in accounting from Syracuse University, an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and experience as group controller at a major regional manufacturing firm. And just now, he has a problem.

Like many Americans, he has had trouble finding affordable family health insurance. Carlton-Jones found a $500-a-month package, but that, too, created a problem: His company's cash burn rate increased by $6,000 a year. He figures that amount is a couple of thousand dollars more than it ought to be.

"I considered not having it but with a wife, a 7-year-old son and year-and-a-half-old son, that wasn't acceptable. As a man, I just don't go to a doctor all that much," he said. "But for my family, that's just not an option."