ObamaCare Makes Life Harder for NJ Mom & Pop Shops

There are two things in the healthcare debate that everyone knows to be true, Save Jerseyans.

First, it is clear that health insurance in the United States is expensive, maybe even prohibitively so. Because insurers cannot compete across state lines the market can never be truly free and prices remain artificially high.

Second, it is clear that ObamaCare does nothing to make healthcare any cheaper for Americans.

Premiums are still on the rise due to increased government regulation.

As more provisions go into effect, premiums will continue to go up to cover the costs President Obama is choosing to impose on everyday Americans.

The rest of what we know about ObamaCare seems to be learn-as-we-go. As Nancy Pelosi famously said, we had to pass the bill so that we can find out what was in it. Now we are beginning to.

Last week I got a haircut from the same shop I have been going to for over a decade. The business I patronize is run by a husband and wife couple. While they used to have a few other employees there, it is now just the two of them. Seeing as I have been going there since the 9th grade, the usual small talk you might have with your barber gets brushed aside in favor of some heavier topics, including politics.

I had assumed that these small business owners would be supporting Romney, but after hearing how ObamaCare was affecting their business directly, my assumption turned to certainty.

It turns out that ObamaCare ends the practice of husband and wife business owners purchasing insurance as a small business entity. Instead, each person will now be responsible for an individual health insurance plan. Anyone who has ever shopped around for insurance (well, with what little shopping around is possible) knows that buying insurance on your own is far more expensive than through a business.

As a result, this Mom and Pop shop’s overhead costs are increasing by a few hundred of dollars per month. In the vacuum of Washington that may seem like nothing, but to a small business in these tough times it can make or break the bottom line.

Luckily my haircut lady has loyal customers who keep them afloat, but just imagine how difficult this could be for small businesses who are easier to substitute with a bigger operation?

So I suppose we can add a third fact that we know to be true in the healthcare debate.

ObamaCare makes life harder for Mom and Pop shops in New Jersey, and everywhere else.

 

Brian McGovern
About Brian McGovern 748 Articles
Brian McGovern wears many hats these days including Voorhees Township GOP Municipal Chairman, South Jersey attorney, and co-owner of the Republican campaign consulting firm Exit 3 Strategies, Inc.

1 Comment

Comments are closed.