Opinion: Obamacare Is Bad For Small Business
As the final days of the presidential campaign of 2012 wind down, there is ongoing concern about what President Barack Obama’s law for requiring businesses to provide health care for its employees will do to small business owners. The choices that business owners have are few, and none of the choices are attractive at all for the American entrepreneurs who are scarcely making it in this Obama economy. Yet, these business owners must make a decision – and make it quick – before the financial penalties begin to accrue against them.
The choices for small business owners are clear, and they all involve a forceful blow to their financial bottom line. They can either spend the money it will take from their business – and their hopes of expanding their business – to provide insurance for all of their workers. Or, they can pay the hefty fines that the government will now levy against them if they do not provide insurance for their employees. The next option is to keep their business incredibly small – under 50 employees – so that they will continually have under the number of employees that are required to feel the full effects of the Obamacare law.
All options for these small business owners lead to one obvious conclusion. They will have less money and limited staff to grow their businesses into a business that could one day allow them to expand and offer Americans more jobs. It’s a detrimental process that has no positive for the growth of a small business.
It has been suggested that most small business owners have decided that paying the fine will be less costly to them than actually purchasing insurance for all of their employees. All-in-all, it appears that Chief Justice John Roberts of the Supreme Court was absolutely correct when he said that the Affordable Care Act is a tax. It is, even though President Obama denies that it’s a tax. Again, it was Judge Roberts’ contention that it is a tax that justified – in his own mind – that the law should pass through the Supreme Court.
Of course, there is another option. Obama could be defeated, and Mitt Romney could repeal the law as he promises to do on day one of his presidency.
Just a reminder to business owners: Election Day is November 6.
About Scott Paulson
Scott Paulson writes political commentary for Examiner.com and teaches English at a community college in the Chicago area. The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of CBS Local.
