Who’s Really Doing the Tackling Here?

In the article, “Businesses tackle the Obamacare equation,” the Cincinnati Enquirer recently highlighted local businesses who are trying to navigate through the president’s disastroushealth care law. But it sounds like ObamaCare is doing most of the tackling here. According to the article, “As employers wrestle to understand how to comply, many are holding off on new investments.

‘Employers are telling the chamber they will not add jobs to cross the 50 employee threshold to avoid the added costs and penalties associated with the mandate,’ said Matt Davis, senior vice president of government affairs at the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber. ‘The chamber will continue to encourage a delay in implementation until the law is reformed to support job growth.’”

No surprise there.

“Some businesses are also capping part-time workers to fewer than 30 hours a week,” the article continues. “Others are holding off on new hires altogether while they assess the impact.”

‘We’re in a holding pattern,’ said Jim Moehring, co-owner of local Holy Grail and Popeye restaurants, which employs more than 80 and 130 full-time and part-time workers, respectively. ‘Is it going to be a 2 percent, 3 percent, 6 percent impact? We have no idea,’ said Moehring. ‘We’ve definitely put any expansion plans on hold until we have a clearer picture. It’s incredibly frustrating, and it’s already been an expensive process when I think about the (cost of) the consultants we’ve hired and seminars we’ve attended to understand all of this.’”

No surprise there, either.

Says the article, “At the Business Backer in Blue Ash, a small-business alternative lending company, human resources consultant Amy Avera says the 58-employee firm remains focused on its goal to grow by 500 percent in the next three years. Part of that growth requires recruiting the right talent.

‘We care about our employee, and we care about attracting good employees,’ said Avera. ‘I’m worried about the cost and plan designs in the future, and employee satisfaction. I’ve always been able to be creative and make plans that meet employees’ and their families needs, but I’m worried this will tie my hands quite a bit.’

Unfortunately, none of this comes as a surprise.  “More and more, as I travel throughout the 8^th District and meet with our local job creators, I hear about the policies coming out of Washington that are causing small businesses to sit on their hands,” Congressman Boehner has said. “As a former small business owner, I get it – it’s taxes, regulations, and policies like the president’s health care law – and we’ve passed dozens of jobs bills in the U.S. House to help.”

All of this is why Congressman Boehner believes we must tear out ObamaCare by its roots and start over with true patient-centered solutions that lower costs for everyone from businesses to families.

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