Comments about ‘Letter: Obamacare hurts workers and businesses’

It's a shame that some businesses lack integrity and use a law not even fully implemented as an excuse to trim employees.

It's a mystery that these same "strapped" businesses -- along with most big biz -- didn't support a government-run single-payer plan that would have saved them money by getting them completely out of the health-insurance-administration business.

It's a blessing that my young-adult son, who will have to have lifesaving surgery in the next few years, will 1) have access to care and 2) not have to bankrupt his young family or 3) not have move to one of the 17 countries providing better, more efficient healthcare than the U.S. through taxpayer-funded systems.

Romney/Obamacare may be blamed for hurting emloyees of unscrupulous businesses, but it's already saving lives in my family.

The twenty first century is becoming more and more the Wal-Mart, burger flipping and emasculated labor union age. This is change that unfortunately we can believe in.

I'm betting there is more than meets the eye here. Perhaps your employer is putting a target profit goal ahead of your interests. In the end, the only solution is a single payer system, a national health insurance program.

Many many Utahns love to blame President Obama personally for their own problems. He's not out to get YOU. Life is hard and unfair. There is a thing about real patriots, we share in the suffering of our citizens by supporting our Nation's quest to bring health care to all Americans (37th in the World isn't good enough for me). And don't expect Republican ideologists to feel empathy for you, from what I've heard, their plank is "you are on your own"!

Obama will do a lot more in his next term. Please be the patriots you are Utah by showing your respect and support for the will of the American people AND this awesome President Obama!

Sorry to hear of that.

Beth, you did not give many specifics of your situation.

Do you and your husband currently have health insurance?
If so, good for you. But, many in your situation do not.
Do you have kids? Do they have health insurance?

If not, what would you do if you, hubby or kids became ill or needed surgery?

Did you know that medical expenses are the number one cause of bankruptcy in America?

I am not an advocate of Obamacare. But I am an advocate of doing something different.

As long as health insurance..health care, is tied to employment we will have circumstances like Beths and Owens. In what perverse universe does this make any sense? No other civilized country does this. There are multitudes of ways to do health care but having health care at its core dependent on employment is nuts. We might as well tie access to health care to the color of hair it makes as much sense.

@Owen: "It's a mystery that these same "strapped" businesses...didn't support a government-run single-payer plan..." Kind of presumptive to bundle all businesses into one mold.

@embarrased: "Obama will do a lot more in his next term." I think that's what has a lot of people nervous...

@pragmatist: I'm liking the idea. I don't think businesses should be forced to provide health insurance. But I think a business should be able to provide it as a benefit if they so desire, and within the liitations they decide. If a company wants to only cover zits and bunions as their health insurance package, that should be their option, and people can decide if that is an acceptable benefit for working there.

I run a small business and we offer health insurance as a benefit. In talking to our benefits representative, (not the insurance company) I'm seriously concerned about the negative financial effects the new law will have on our company. I can only hope all the gloom and doom doesn't come to fruition.

Great letter, and tells the story that all leftists have been in denial about for the last 3+ years. When the death panels come about, they will still be in denial! Healthcare is certainly getting cheaper, don't you think?
Healthcare isn't the most important issue we face in this country. Food, shelter, and income are just as and in my book more important. Life isn't fair. In a free society, you cannot expect or believe, that you and your neighbor, should have equal experiences and outcomes. We are all different in many ways.
Love the scenarios of the shortsighted leftists who post on this board. Many families, who live outside of the government bubble, have insurance coverage from employers who are looking to protect their own interests. These are less expensive plans that provide minimal coverage. A modest income family making 50K a year, and dealing with a life threatening illness, could easily be left with out of pocket expenses, for on year, that total 20K+. That is nearly 1/2 their take home pay. How is that not going to bankrupt them? They have and pay for health insurance, which democrats think is magical! Lower costs!

Sad story -- but I'm questioning it's authenticity.

I suspect Beth's bosses wanted to cut her hours due to the economic slow down or quite possibly they don't think she is really doing that great of a job.

Rather than looking her straight in the eye and being "Honest" with her,
the choose to try to sugar coat it - tell she is doing a great job - and then blaming a boogieman who doesn't exist as to the reason they are cutting back -- again, not being honest.

Running my own business, if someone was that good, that indispensible -- I'd find someway to cover that extra 20 or 50 cents and hour [perhaps even increasing the price of my product] rather than suffer the finacial losses of loosing that key all important person.

Besides, If you are working 2 jobs, and your husband is also working, and not one of those businesses is providing ANY insurance coverage -- THAT is the very reason for Obamacare.

Because it sounds like you are one of the 47% who are dependant on the Government.
and Obamacare is forcing Companies and Businesses to help you become independant.

Ned Grimley..I agaree you should have the ability to provide health benefits if you want but you should also have the ability to purchase gasoline for all your employees, but why would you do that. The flip side to the argument is your employees shouldn't have to rely on your generosity or lack thereof to for health care..the two have no logical connection.

So, your boss is a cheapskate, and that's President Obama's fault? You do realize that you're going to get health care out of this?

Hahaha.

"When the death panels come about" you mean from Obamacare?

You may want to at least educate yourself as to what the talking points actually mean.
Death panel = doctors getting paid to discuss end of life options.

Did you know that about 25% of medicare costs occur in the last year of someones life?

Wouldn't it be prudent to understand where that money was going and to determine if it was a good use of limited funds?

Wouldn't a good businessman (Romney perhaps) focus on the large expenditures first?

This is a perfect example of the right being outraged and something that is not even true.
As if that matters anymore....

I wonder if Beth's employer is really not equipped to run a business since he hasn't figured how to take advantage of the tax incentives. As it has been said before over and over the real solution to this is to adopt a single payer healthcare system that really contributes to slowing down the costs. The rest of the world can do it so you would think we could.

Don't you mean Romney Care? Obama simply copied Romney's plan for Massechusets.

Tea Partiers own businesses too. And they love to punish thier employees because they willfully missunderstand the ACA which GIVES allows you affordable insuraance NOT connected to your work.

Again - I can't get this honesty thing out of my head...

Beth's boss:
Yep, things are sure hard right now.
Sorry to do this to you, it's all Obama's fault.

Hey Beth - and other Conservaitives,
before yo go hammering on me, listen to your selected leader;
Why don't you get off you lazy backsides and do it yourself, with NO help, like Mitt Romney and the rest of his 1% did.

or

Dod what his little buddy Paul Ryan did, the GOP financial guru, having no business experience --
after being elected to Congress started several LLCs back in Wisconsin and magiacally became very wealthy by somehow winning Government contract after Governement contract.

Or

Keep blaming Obama for your problems.

Of COURSE Obamacare hurt workers and businesses – why do you think so many businesses in pelosi’s district were given waivers?

Esquire, Embarrassed, Eric, LDS Lib, Ernest, Screwdriver, ugottabkidn, pargmatist – care to explain all the waivers if Obamacare is NOT harmful to workers and businesses?

Esquire,
In case you missed it in your basic econ class, MOST employers are for-profit businesses.

Embarrassed,
I do not believe BO is personally out to get us. His policies are detrimental to us and our nation, but I think that just comes from his misguided ideology, not from any personal animosity.

Eric,
You missed the point – if not for Obamacare, her hours would NOT have been cut. Nice obfuscation, though.

LDS Lib,
How much business experience did BO have? NONE – and it shows. Romney has been wildly successful, but you see that as bad. Sad.

Wow, the left are out in force today. So far non of them have even provided a bit of evidence showing that Obamacare actually curbs the rising cost of insurance. However, there are lots of studies out there showing how much it will drive up costs and cut the quality of care.

From the Washington CBS affiliate "Papa John’s Founder To Raise Price Of Pizza Due To ‘Obamacare’" Apparently Obamacare's mandates will make Papa John's insurance more expensive.

See "Health insurance costs surge in 2011" in the AP, where they also cite a significant jump in costs for insurance due to Obamacare.

In Forbes we read "Why ObamaCare Will Raise Your Bill". They explain some of the cost rising measurs. See "In Depth: 10 Surprising Ways Health Reform Will Cost You" for more details.

In the WSJ we read "McDonald's May Drop Health Plan" where McDonalds explained why they couldn't afford the new mandates.

Apparently the economic experts and those who pay for insurance have explained why Obamacare hurts businesses.

The cost of a pizza may increase 10 to 15 cents (according to Papa John's) so minimum-wage employees can keep their insurance. That seems entirely reasonable to me. Do you really want to live in a society that says no to an extra dime per pizza so people barely getting by can afford health coverage? No? Then support programs like those in every other indusrialized nation that provide, better care not linked through their employers.

Joe Blow

Of course I am referring to Obamcare. However, Obamacare was imposed on us, as the covert first step that pushes us to total government controlled healthcare (single payer). Because of the bureaucracy and the inefficiency of such system there will never be enough money to make it work. Thus the death panels. You naively say they will be made up of doctors, I say they will include others who make the decision about spending money on patients who are "worthy" to spend money on. You say end of life options, I say there will be few options! Try being outraged over Obamas lies and educate educate yourself for a change!

You are master of the obvious. I bet 25% is a lowball number, I bet it's over 30% for the average person. All your statements become fuzzy after that. You talk about healthcare and costs versus benefit theories, as though your in favor of "death panels" and utilizing good business cost control practices? Then you get angry and refer to a lie? so are you for or against? Most leftists ridiculed conservatives like who bring the subject up. It doesn't fit with the pro Obamacare deceptions.