San Diego
Interesting, I'm seeing the opposite. I work with employee benefits for small companies, and we've put in more 401(k)'s in the last 4 months than in the last 4 years. I have clients hiring (not a lot, but many of my small groups have added 1 or 2 folks recently). HealthCare Reform doesn't impact companies with less than 50 employees or groups that already offer insurance to their employees at all, so the small business owners scared about what Obamacare will do to them have simply bought into the BS propagated by the right on this issue. (FYI, I'm a very centerist Independent...I hate both parties!).
I've long thought that "uncertainty" is Republican code for "there's a Democrat in office...panic!". 
Oh, I agree wholeheartedly (as I said, I hate...too strong a word, but it gets my point across...both 'sides'). I was focusing on the fear being spread on the right that has owners of 10 employee companies fearing a law that won't effect them at all. But the BS from the left is just as rampant.
I've been an insurance broker for 20 years, and in that time rates have tripled while benefits have decreased. 2012 was the first year in the last 15 that had average increases of less than 10% (the average was 7% this year, with a couple carriers having 2% increases after admitting they over-increased last year after PPACA was passed). That kind of increases in an era of low inflation was unsustainable...something had to be done. Unfortunately, the left's response was (as always) to put the government in charge and create a bloated law with tons of regulations that doesn't really address the core issues of spiraling costs, etc.
Just my $.02, which, with an extra $4.48, might buy you a coffee.