Posted on 11/07/2012 7:26:25 PM PST by My Favorite Headache
Last night's victory for the President marks the first time since its inception that Obamacare is no longer a what-if; it is the future of health care in America.
It also means a near immediate impact on the economy. With 20 or so new or higher taxes set to be implemented, ranging from a $123 billion surtax on investment income, through the $20 billion medical device tax, all the way down to the $600 million executive compensation limit, Obamacare will be a nearly unbearable tax burden on the economy.
Who will pay? The middle-class workforce, of course.
So with another four years for President Obama to look forward to, and the obvious inevitability of Obamacare that this entails, let's examine the very real jobs that will be lost, and the very real lives that will be affected.
Welch Allyn
Welch Allyn, a company that manufactures medical diagnostic equipment in central New York, announced in September that they would be laying off 275 employees, or roughly 10% of their workforce over the next three years. One of the major reasons discussed for the layoffs was a proactive response to the Medical Device Tax mandated by the new healthcare law.
Dana Holding Corp.
As recently as a week ago, a global auto parts manufacturing company in Ohio known as Dana Holding Corp., warned their employees of potential layoffs, citing "$24 million over the next six years in additional U.S. health care expenses". After laying off several white collar staffers, company insiders have hinted at more to come. The company will have to cover the additional $24 million cost somehow, which will likely equate to numerous cuts in their current workforce of 25,500 worldwide.
Stryker
One of the biggest medical device manufacturers in the world, Stryker will close their facility in Orchard Park, New York, eliminating 96 jobs in December. Worse, they plan on countering the medical device tax in Obamacare by slashing 5% of their global workforce - an estimated 1,170 positions.
Boston Scientific
In October of 2009, Boston Scientific CEO Ray Elliott, warned that proposed taxes in the health care reform bill could "lead to significant job losses" for his company. Nearly two years later, Elliott announced that the company would be cutting anywhere between 1,200 and 1,400 jobs, while simultaneously shifting investments and workers overseas - to China.
Medtronic
In March of 2010, medical device maker Medtronic warned that Obamacare taxes could result in a reduction of precisely 1,000 jobs. That plan became reality when the company cut 500 positions over the summer, with another 500 set for the end of 2013.
Others
A short list of other companies facing future layoffs at the hands of Obamacare:
Smith & Nephew - 770 layoffs Abbott Labs - 700 layoffs Covidien - 595 layoffs Kinetic Concepts - 427 layoffs St. Jude Medical - 300 layoffs Hill Rom - 200 layoffs
Beyond the complete elimination of a significant number of American jobs is another looming problem created by the health care law - a shift from full-time to part-time workers.
Sean Hackbarth of Free Enterprise explains:
A JP Morgan economist "points out that 8.3 million people are working in part-time jobs even though they'd prefer full-time work. Unfortunately, because of President Obama’s health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), workers in the hotel, restaurant, and retail industries could be pushed into part-time jobs working less than 30 hours per week."
"Under the health care law, if a company has more than 50 “full time equivalent” workers, a combination of full and part-time employees, but doesn’t offer “affordable” coverage that meets the government’s minimum value standard, the company will have to pay a penalty. This penalty is determined by the number of full-time employees minus 30 full-time employees. So to reiterate a very important point: part-time workers are not part of the penalty formula. The health care law creates a perverse incentive to hire part-time versus full-time workers."
Tangible examples of Obamacare causing a reduction in full-time workers:
Darden Restaurants
According to the Orlando Sentinel, Darden Restaurants, a casual dining chain best known for their Red Lobster, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse restaurants, is "experimenting with limiting the hours of some of its workers to avoid health care requirements under the Affordable Care Act when they take effect in 2014".
JANCOA Janitorial Services
The CEO of JANCOA, Mary Miller, testified to Congress that Obamacare was a "dream killer", adding that one option she had to consider "is reducing the majority of my team members to part-time employment in order to reduce the amount that I will be penalized."
Kroger
The American retailer in Cincinnati, Ohio recently was reported to be planning a significant slashing of their hourly workers. Doug Ross writes:
Operative Faith (a mid-level manager with the company) reveals that Kroger will soon join the ranks of Darden Restaurants and slash the hours of its non-exempt (hourly) workers to avoid millions in Obamacare penalties.
According to the source, Obamacare could result in tens of thousands of Kroger employees being limited to working 28 hours per week.
Summary
This is by no means, meant to be an exhaustive list. But it is meant to provide examples of real companies, real jobs, and real names, soon to be added to the growing list of employment casualties provided by the inevitable implementation of Obamacare.
Last night, America voted for four more years of President Obama and his destructive economic and health care policies. By extension, America last night voted their approval of the aforementioned layoffs and overall work reduction.
Now we must accept the inevitable. Welcome to mourning in America.
The republicans better pick a strong leader nationally who can lay this bastard out hard in the media and just deal with the media slings and arrows or else they’re asses will be the blame for all the layoffs. Yea I know magical messiah is the leader of the country and his party runs the senate but the media will still be covering for this flop of a president because they WILL NOT as fat lazy white liberals allow the first black prez to get the blame.
Conservatives better make sure they tie all these job loses to the healthcare bill or else they’re gonna be blamed and big mean business will be blamed.
*their not they’re
it’s 5am :)
Corning Glass Works laid off 225 ppl today.
CEO is a big Obama fan.
Obamacare is no longer a what-if; it is the future of health care in America. It also means a near immediate impact on the economy. With 20 or so new or higher taxes set to be implemented, ranging from a $123 billion surtax on investment income, through the $20 billion medical device tax, all the way down to the $600 million executive compensation limit, Obamacare will be a nearly unbearable tax burden on the economy. Who will pay? The middle-class workforce, of course.Great, those huge budget deficits will make a great wedge issues in a couple of years. NOT.
The husband of a friend of ours was laid off yesterday, along with about 100 of his coworkers. They were told directly that the action was necessary because of Obama’s reelection and Obamacare.
My wife, who runs the food bank at our church, had to run over to meet his wife at the food bank to give them food. Another Obama success story!
Worse - he told Lockheed and the other big defense contractors NOT to issue the advance notice of pending layoffs required by the WARN Act. He said the taxpayers would pay the contractors’ legal fees when the fired employees sued the contractors for violating the WARN Act.
Executive Order #138.......... Thou shalt not lay off any body
You missed a few.
Boeing Announces Big Layoffs in Defense Division
http://www.cnbc.com/id/49729998
Cut 30 percent of management jobs
Rocketdyne lays off 100 – mostly in San Fernando Valley
http://www.cnbc.com/id/49729998
As a current member of the heath care work force, I have scanned the landscape and the vista looks rather bleak. On the one hand, in 14 months, ObamaCare goes live and 30 million newly “insured” individuals will flood the system.
It will be all hands on deck. So if there are hospitals and clinics, drug stores etc that don’t want to play...well they will be assimilated into GHC (GovHealthCare) ala GM.
Us workers who remain will be highly underutilized but sought after by the ever Obama friendly SEIU.
And how many Catholic facilities might no longer exist by then? I know what our letter from the Bishop said several months ago, “We shall not comply.”
I wonder how many people that are going to be laid off in that list above voted for Obama?
If we were forced to give FDR 8 more years, it would be racist to deny Obama the same privilege.
What makes you think he is leaving office in 2016???
The best thing that could happen is mass layoffs in the media. Maybe then they’ll report the truth.
We will be dancing the Charleston in no time!!
(SARCASM OFF)
Not to mention the huge numbers of layoffs that’ll occur in the contracting ranks because of sequestration.
What we’re seeing here is only the beginning.
Thanks, America. You stepped in it this time... big time.
They'll just increase the number of "Gay" and "Muslim" days.
Not so; the left has already redefined middle class to include unionized labor.
If you look back, Romney referred to "mid level earners", at least tacitly recognizing the difference between middle class and overpaid labor.
I told a friend yesterday that I was predicting between 40,000 and 60,000 BUSINESSES going OUT of business in the rest of 2012 and 2013. He thought I was too high.
I told him if there are 50 states, that is an average of 1200 businesses per state. I could probably find 200 such businesses in the Co Calif San Fernando Valley alone to fulfill my prophecy.
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