NBC discovers Obamacare is bad for biz

CalWatchdog has done more than 50 stories about Obamacare and the Affordable Care Act since just Januray 1, 2013, warning about the detrimental impacts the law will have on businesses, business owners, and employees.

NBC News published a story Wednesday announcing what the rest of the country already knows: Employers and employees have been hoodwinked under Obamacare.

“Employers around the country, from fast-food franchises to colleges, have told NBC News that they will be cutting workers’ hours below 30 a week because they can’t afford to offer the health insurance mandated by the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare,” NBC said.

The Affordable Care Act requires employers to offer health insurance to employees who work 30 hours or more per week. Prior to Obamacare, employers offered health insurance to full-time employees, defined as working 40 or more hours each week. Employees who work 30 hours or less has always been considered the threshold for part-time employment.

In 7 short weeks, on October 1, Americans can begin applying for Obamacare health coverage. Californians will apply for the subsidized health coverage through Covered California.

While arriving late to the game, at least NBC has figured out there is a problem looming.

Houston, we have a problem

“In July, the administration announced that it had delayed implementation of the “employer mandate,” which was supposed to take effect on Jan. 1,” NBC said, as if that decision put off any upcoming problems with Obamacare. “Now businesses with more than 50 workers will not be penalized for failing to offer insurance to full-time employees until Jan. 1, 2015.”

“NBC News spoke with almost 20 small businesses and other entities from Maine to California, and almost all said that because of the new law they’d be cutting back hours for some employees – an unintended consequence of the new law,” NBC said.

People waking up to the upcoming health care nightmare

One of the employers impacted by Obamacare is St. Petersburg College, a public university in Florida, NBC reported. The college just reduced the hours of 250 already part-time professors because it cannot afford to offer them health insurance.

“Part-time math professor Tracey Sullivan said she will lose half her income because of the cuts,” NBC reported.

“I never thought it would impact me directly,” said Sullivan. “I was stunned when I got the email…I love teaching at St. Pete College but that is a significant cut.”

Employees and people who voted for Obama, even after Obamacare was passed, assumed it would never impact them directly — government subsidized health care was good enough for other people.

The chickens are coming home to roost.