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ObamaCare: Out of Touch and Running Out of Time

April 30, 2013 — The Prescription Pad   


Claim
Americans “are experiencing the benefits of the Affordable Care Act, even if they don’t know it.” President Obama, 4/30/13

Reality
The American people are well aware of the “benefits” of ObamaCare – less work, lower wages and fewer benefits.

Facts

  • 71 percent of small businesses cite the health care law as a major obstacle to job creation.
  • The Federal Reserve economic survey recently warned, “Employers in several Districts cited the unknown effects of the Affordable Care Act as reasons for planned layoffs and reluctance to hire more staff.”
  • The Wall Street Journal reported that cost pressures caused by ObamaCare are forcing employers to discontinue the offering of spousal coverage in employer health plans.
  • A New York Times article noted that 7.6 million Americans who want more hours cannot find full-time employment and are stuck in part-time jobs.  Commenting in the piece, Paul Dales, senior United States economist for Capital Economics, suggests that ObamaCare is contributing to the trend saying, “There is another reason to believe that part-time employment will stay higher for longer, namely the incentives to employ part-time workers created by Obama’s health care reforms.”
  • The Kaiser Family Foundation poll released today found that just 35 percent of Americans view ObamaCare “very” or “somewhat” favorably.  Only once since the law passed has support run lower, when 34 percent took a favorable view of the law in October 2011.
  • Regal Cinemas announced they would be cutting the hours of thousands of employees as a result of ObamaCare. 
  • The Wall Street Journal reported, “Several restaurants, hotels and retailers have started or are preparing to limit schedules of hourly workers to below 30 hours a week….  CKE Restaurants Inc., parent of the Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s burger chains, began two months ago to hire part-time workers to replace full-time employees who left….  Home retailer Anna’s Linens Inc. is considering cutting hours for some full-time employees to avoid the insurance mandate if the health-care law isn’t repealed….”

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