Sen. Collins: Obamacare's 30-Hour Rule Will Damage Businesses

NewsMax ^ | Aug 3, 2013 | By Sandy Fitzgerald

[Jim Robinson]

Obamacare has "perverse incentives" that allow employers to cut their employees' work hours, says Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, who has introduced a bill to change the healthcare law's definition of full time work from 30 hours a week to 40.

Collins, in Saturday's GOP address, noted that under Obamacare, anyone working an average of 30 hours a week is considered full-time, meaning many employers may cut their hours so they won't have to provide them with insurance.

A 40-hour work week is full-time, we all know that," said Collins.

She noted in her address that her family founded a small business in Maine more than 160 years ago that continues to be run by two of her brothers.

"Our economy is built on millions of enterprises just like ours," she said. "It’s not easy to survive in today’s economy. But these employers remain our nation’s job creators. We should be doing all we can to promote policies to help them survive and thrive."

She also agreed that healthcare reform should provide people with access to quality and affordable care "while encouraging economic growth. That’s not what is happening under Obamacare."

Instead, Collins said, Obamacare discourages small businesses from creating jobs and hiring new workers, and "has perverse incentives for employers to reduce the number of hours that their employees can work."

Most small businesses want to provide health insurance, said Collins, but can't afford to do so under Obamacare.

In addition, she said, that while businesses with 50 or more full-time employees are required to provide health insurance or face huge fines, they won't face fines if they only have 49 employees.

"These enormous penalties are a real threat to employers who want to add jobs," she said. "They are a powerful incentive for employers to refrain from hiring...

[Jim Robinson]

She also quoted Teamsters President James Hoffa, who said recently that Obamacare will "destroy the foundation of the 40-hour work week that is the backbone of the American middle class."

So simple even a dim can figure it out.

[Common Sense 101]

Brilliant analysis, Senator. And it only took a year and a half for you to figure it out. Gawd, the GOPe is beyond pathetic.

[jeffc]

Obamacare has "perverse incentives" that allow employers to cut their employees' work hours...

"Allow"? Is King Zero now in charge of all businesses and can tell them how many hours an employee may work?

I don't like the wording of that sentence. I think it displays a subservient mindset for everything Obama. OK, so I'm a paranoid cynic. With King Zero as President, you need to watch every word he says and what the hidden meaning is behind them.

[Principled]

ok so why did she vote for cloture on the bill if she knew it was so damaging? She could have kept if from coming to the Senate floor iirc.

It’s her friggin’ job.

She needs to go and Maine needs someone to represent Maine.

[Cowboy Bob]

Wow. Sen. Collins came out of her stupor again. I guess it's going to be an early Spring. /sarc

[Artcore]

Yet you voted for cloture?!?!

She’s trying to provide some cover for herself...nothing more.

Hey Senator Stupid: how is it we dumb Tea Party hicks were able to figure out what would happen when ObamaCare was implemented, but you brilliant elites couldn’t?

These politicians should be given a speedy trial and hung!

[hal ogen]

This collins idiot voted for cloture which allowed this monstrosity to continue. She is a complete republican loser who is so conflicted and confused that she probably doesn’t know who or where she is.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Susan is slow but she finally gets there. :-)

[Gay State Conservative]

When people complain about RINOs...particularly those of the Northeastern variety (Collins,Scott Brown,etc)...they must remember that not a single Republican in the Senate voted for OsamaObamaCare.Not Brown,not Snowe and not Collins.And now we have this from Collins.

Just food for thought.

[daler]

It would not surprise me at all to see the day arrive when employers are fined or otherwise sanctioned for laying people off.

[Artcore]

“This collins idiot voted for cloture which allowed this monstrosity to continue. She is a complete republican loser who is so conflicted and confused that she probably doesn’t know who or where she is.”
_______________________________________________________

Yep! And to add insult to injury, she and her staff will be exempt from this monstrosity and given a subsidy. As I said, these POS should be hung for what they've done to this nation!

[who_would_fardels_bear]

"A 40-hour work week is full-time, we all know that," said Collins.

Tell that to the French who think 35 hours is full-time.

Maybe Obama is just getting ahead of the curve and further dumbing down the work week to 30 hours so that more people can make less money in a stagnating economy.

[Steve_Seattle]

I don't follow this. If Obamacare says that 30 hours is full-time, employers presumably cut hours to 29 (or less) to avoid the mandate. Do they then hire additional part-time workers to make up the labor gap?

But if it's raised to 40 hours (the normal full-time job), they'll still cut the hours to a part-time level, but the hours wouldn't have to be reduced as much - they'd only need to cut one hour to avoid the mandate instead of 11, and might not need - depending on the nature of the work - to hire any new employees at all. At the least, they'd need to hire fewer part-time workers. Is that the trade-off she's talking about? Is she hoping existing employees will only need to take a one-hour cut instead of an 11-hour one?

[Artcore]

“Susan is slow but she finally gets there. :-)”
________________________________________________

Slow my A$$! This was purposeful...AND, she and her staff will be exempted from this laws devastating effects!

She is the reason this POS law is a reality!

[AdaGray]

Another RINO idiot trying to put a patch a sinking boat.

[Steve_Seattle]

"ok so why did she vote for cloture on the bill if she knew it was so damaging? She could have kept if from coming to the Senate floor iirc."

Probably no one who voted for the law actually read it.

[Georgia Girl 2]

Yeh I was kidding. She is a total RINO.

[SamAdams76]

As somebody who has been working full-time for over 30 years, I would love to get “down” to a 40-hr work week. That would seem like a part-time job to me. I’ve been working 60+ hours a week all of my adult life.

[Artcore]

“Yeh I was kidding. She is a total RINO.”
___________________________________________

I didn’t mean to take my frustration out on you. I think we’re all so absolutely sick and tired of these idiots destroying our nation through destructive laws, and then claiming ignorance, that we’ve all reached our limits.

I loath these people to the core!

[Principled]

Probably no one who voted for the law actually read it.

Yeah I know! That's what I'm saying - it's her damn job to know what she's freakin' voting on. It's her job to say "I'm not voting for this until I know what it says". DAMN!

She was vote 60 IIRC. GRRRRRRRRR