ObamaCare is Unfair and Costing Hoosier Jobs

Press Release

In a speech on the House floor yesterday, Representative Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) discussed that the employer and individual mandates in ObamaCare are unfair to hardworking Hoosiers who have suffered lost hours at work or the lost opportunity to find a good-paying, full-time job. He explained that: "It's hard to find a full-time job when the government penalizes your employer for giving you more than 30 hours of work."

That is why Bucshon, a former physician, voted in favor of two bills last night that would delay the employer and individual mandates until 2015.

Following his vote on H.R. 2667 and H.R. 2668, Bucshon stated: "I consistently hear stories from businesses, school corporations, and local governments here in the 8th District that they are struggling under the law's requirements. This law is unworkable for businesses and unaffordable for families. I am proud to join my colleagues to provide temporary relief to all Hoosiers while we continue working for permanent repeal of this disastrous law."

Below are some recent headlines and examples in Indiana of jobs lost due to the Affordable Care Act's burdensome mandates, similar to what Bucshon mentions.

"Wolfe's is one of countless small businesses, nation-wide, that will be forced, under the President's current proposal, to streamline its workforce: drastically reducing the number of full-time employees, and holding a vast majority of its work staff to a less-than-30-hours work week." (WTHI; 6/25/13)

"Similar to other businesses across the country, Wolfe's Auto Auction in Terre Haute says it is cutting work hours of several of its employees because of the insurance mandates of the federal Affordable Care Act…The reason cited? The Affordable Care Act defines a full-time worker as anyone who works 30 hours or more each week, and businesses will be required to provide health insurance to all of their full-time employees." (TribStar; 6/25/13)

"Fort Wayne Community Schools is trimming the hours of more than 600 part-time teaching aides and cafeteria workers in anticipation of a projected budget shortfall and to satisfy the requirements of the federal health care law, a school official said. Kathy Friend, chief financial officer for FWCS, said the school district is dropping 610 employees from 30 hours to 25 hours per week starting June 3, rather than provide them with health insurance as mandated by impending federal regulations." (Journal Gazette; 5/27/13)

"The Affordable Health Care Act goes into effect next year, forcing employers to offer health insurance to any employee who works more than 30 hours a week. As a result, the Spencer County Commissioners are thinking about cutting hours for their part-time employees." (14 WFIE; 6/10/13)

"St. Vincent, a Roman Catholic provider and part of St. Louis-based Ascension Health Alliance, announced it would cut 865 jobs…The cuts represent a 5% reduction in labor costs for St. Vincent's 13 hospitals and other facilities across 14 cities in Indiana. They blamed costs associated with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and decreased revenue due to Congress' automatic budget cuts…" (ModernHealthcare.com; 7/2/13)

"The Vigo County School Corp. will no longer provide school bus transportation for middle school athletic events, starting with the 2013-14 school year…. The reasons cited are the Affordable Care Act and the need to reduce bus driver hours, as well as the need to reduce overall transportation costs." (Tribstar; 6/16/13)

"Titus [hospital marketing director] said St. Vincent Anderson has seen 3.3 percent reduction in labor costs through several initiatives. Aside from the 23 layoffs from the roughly 1,500-member workforce, other cost-cutting measures have been encouraging early retirement, voluntary reassignment and empty positions being eliminated." (Indiana Economic Digest; 6/29/13)

"Greencastle Schools authorities have been wrestling with this question in recent months, coming to the hard decision to cut the hours of part-time workers to 29.5 or fewer hours. The changes will apply to instructional assistants and kitchen assistants, a total of 54 GCSC employees. As full-time workers under the new standard, the school would have to offer insurance to these employees. Such benefits would come at a cost the school cannot afford." (Brazil Times; 5/10/13)

"Lafayette School Corporation, where more than 150 of the schools approximately 600 non-certified employees have had their hours reduced to meet the federal definition of part-time. "We cannot go out and raise the price of our product to assist us covering this. We would have to go to the taxpayers and ask for some type of increase and I just don't see that happening,' said Les Huddle, superintendent." (Courier Journal; 6/8/13)

"The Washington School Board…said many part-time workers may have to see hours cut to below 30. The cut, Superintendent Daniel Roach said, was to fall under the proposed mandate of 30 hours. Although the schools offer health care to the teachers, administrators, full time personnel and board members, the school will have to look at positions like substitute teachers, coaches and cafeteria workers to make sure they fall under the 30-hour-a-week minimum." (Washington Times Herald; 6/20/13)

"Superintendent Ty Mungle explained due to changes in insurance provisions in the Affordable Healthcare Act, as of April 29 all members of staff that are not currently covered by the school's insurance will be cut back to 28 hours per week. Matt Roberts, president of the Eastern Greene Classroom Teachers Association, stressed to the board these series of changes are detrimental to the teachers' dedication to the school system." (Daily World; 4/8/13)

"Ninety part-time employees with the Fayette County School Corp. saw their work hours cut [the week of June 10th] due to a provision of the federal Affordable Care Act. Hodges said 450 employees worked more than 30 to 35 per week. The corporation does not offer health insurance to them. The estimate cost is less than half of the fines the corporation would incur for not offering health insurance to those 90 employees, but is still a large sum, Hodges said." (Indiana Economic Digest; 5/11/13)

"Womack [owner of IHOP franchise across Indiana] estimates the cost of [The Affordable Care Act] to his company will be 50 percent greater than his company's earnings…'If the health care reform law is not repealed or if the employer mandate doesn't go away, we're going to have to take drastic action,' Womack explains." (The Foundry; 3/22/13)

"To prevent [Spencer County] from acquiring new full-timers, commissioners may opt to revise salary ordinances to reflect the new federal mandates under Affordable Care. Kitchen workers' schedules are divided into four-hour increments, with some working more than others…By consensus, they agreed to better divide duties and work about 28 hours each week." (Journal-Democrat; 6/6/13)

"…due to lower Medicare payments, hospitals across the state and country are laying off workers. Indiana's thriving medical device industry is also facing huge tax increases to help fund Obamacare; from Zimmer and DePuy in Northern Indiana to Hill-Rom and Cook Medical in Southern Indiana. How will they afford these tax increase; usually either through cutting expenses (lost jobs) or through price increases, which the consumer pays for, or maybe doesn't get that much-needed hip replacement due to higher costs." (IndyStar; 6/17/13)

NOTE: Rep. Bucshon has consistently raised concerns over the impact ObamaCare's burdensome mandates will have on middle class families and our nation's economy.

He recently joined Reps. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) and Trey Radel (R-Fla.) to pen an Op-Ed for The Hill to discuss how ObamaCare is costing hours at wages and hours at work.

Rep. Larry Bucshon is a medical doctor and practiced heart surgery for over 15 years before being elected to Congress in 2010.

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