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The Next Obamacare Battle Nobody is Talking About
Townhall.com ^ | June 30, 2015 | Alex Vargo

Posted on 06/30/2015 11:01:25 AM PDT by Kaslin

Last week, the Supreme Court sided 6-3 with the Obama administration’s interpretation of the Affordable Care Act, ruling the law was written with the intent to provide subsidies through federal exchanges. To put it lightly, conservatives are less than thrilled.

But in our disappointment, let’s not forget that the subsidies are just one problematic element of many found in the 20,000-page law. While Congress may not be able to undo the Court’s recent ruling, that doesn’t mean they can’t address another serious issue with the Affordable Care Act: the employer mandate that defines a full-time workweek as 30 hours.

The youth unemployment rate is currently 13.6%, meaning nearly one out of every seven people between the ages of 18 and 29 are out of work. Of those fortunate enough to be employed, many see their work hours cut.

The Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate requires businesses who employ 50 or more full-time workers to insure all of their employees. While this requirement may be well-intended, its long-term economic consequences will be devastating. As the mandate is set to take effect in 2016, many businesses are already choosing between limiting their staff or cutting individual work-hours.

It’s estimated that 2.6 million Americans making under $30,000 a year are at risk of having their hours or wages cut. Of those 2.6 million, 60 percent of those people are between the ages of 19 and 34.

Take the food industry, for example, where the average employee age is 28 years old. Between wait staff, hostesses, busboys, line cooks, dishwashers, and others, restaurants easily reach staffs of over 50 employees with diverse skill sets. This being the case, restaurant owners – many of whom see thin profit margins already – have limited options and are forced to cut hours, reducing the size of people’s paychecks.

Because so many young people work in the food industry, they are being disproportionately clobbered by this provision. And that’s just in the restaurant industry. Retail stores and other business sectors face the brunt of the provision, too.

Forever 21 is one of the largest private employers in the country. Less than two years ago, in preparation for the employer mandate to kick in, the company announced its plans to reduce worker hours. Although the organization denied these cuts were directly related to the 30-hour provision, Forever 21 planned to transition some workers to 29.5 hours a week or less.

This mandate’s burden is clearly falling hardest on young people who are already experiencing the difficulty of finding gainful employment. But there is good news. Right now, Congress has the ability to vastly improve our generation’s opportunity to work by restoring the 40-hour workweek.

Specifically, the Senate should immediately consider the House-passed Save American Workers Act that changes the threshold of full-time employment from 30 hours per week to 40 hours. The House of Representatives passed this bipartisan bill in January, and now it’s up to the Senate to follow suit. This simple fix would make an enormous difference for young people desperately looking to advance in their careers.

Being employed, whether it’s waiting tables or performing an entry-level desk job, provides a young person with necessary income, crucial career development, and most importantly, a sense of pride and self-worth. Restoring the 40-hour work week should be the simple starting point of a larger conversation about how to help our generation’s job crisis.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: 0bamacare; employermandate; employers; healthcare; obamacare
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1 posted on 06/30/2015 11:01:25 AM PDT by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Coming... 30=40


2 posted on 06/30/2015 11:05:58 AM PDT by tophat9000 (SCOTUS=Newspeak)
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To: Kaslin

With help from “The Supremes”, I’m sure Obama can get it lowered to 20 hours.


3 posted on 06/30/2015 11:12:42 AM PDT by WayneS (Yeah, it's probably sarcasm...)
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To: Kaslin
Although the organization denied these cuts were directly related to the 30-hour provision, Forever 21 planned to transition some workers to 29.5 hours a week or less.

Frankly, I don't care about this company's response. It is logical. Especially in response to a wholly socialist law in the first place.

What all these young socialists who believe Obama's and his ilks' spiels need to be concerned about is that trust they placed into the hands of third rate power-mad intellects to start with. Obama and company could give a crap about you as long as he destroys traditional America. He was brought up to hate us and what we represent and to do everything he can to undo it. Don't make a mistake about that. You all might just as well learn how to bow down and point towards Mecca.

4 posted on 06/30/2015 11:15:33 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: tophat9000

Finally, that new math the kids were learning makes sense.


5 posted on 06/30/2015 11:18:15 AM PDT by kevslisababy
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To: Kaslin
ruling the law was written with the intent to provide subsidies through federal exchanges.

How can the justices on that court say things like that with a straight face? The only subsidies that were to be given were through state exchanges only. I'm getting very tired of shaking my head.

6 posted on 06/30/2015 11:20:28 AM PDT by Bloody Sam Roberts (Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. Moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue.)
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To: Kaslin

No doubt, after seeing their hours cut, the kids will demand more socialism.


7 posted on 06/30/2015 11:23:03 AM PDT by PGR88
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To: tophat9000

“Coming... 30=40”

Right you are - decline and chaos, all is going well according to Oboal’s plan.
Right before our very eyes without a fight...
Tired we may be, we really owe it to our country to fight his agenda and actions.
Where is the Tea Party?
Where is the nationwide groundswell uprising of 2009?
No matter how bad things look, it’s only going to get much worse (unrecoverable) without opposition to Nero II.


8 posted on 06/30/2015 11:23:16 AM PDT by MarchonDC09122009 (When is our next march on DC? When have we had enough?)
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To: Kaslin
one out of every seven people between the ages of 18 and 29 are out of work

That is why it is important to have an editor review work before publishing.

9 posted on 06/30/2015 11:24:35 AM PDT by Jeff Chandler (Nobody expects the SCOTUS Inquisition.)
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To: Bloody Sam Roberts

those “young people” are just finding out what H.L.M said about Democracy since they overwhelmingly love B.H.O

“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard.”


10 posted on 06/30/2015 11:25:24 AM PDT by Bidimus1
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To: Kaslin

Collapsing the economy from within. Right out of “Rules for Radicals”. Marxism at its best.


11 posted on 06/30/2015 11:25:41 AM PDT by paulcissa (The first requirement of Liberalism is to stand on your head and tell the world they're upside down)
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To: kevslisababy

More like “1984”..... 2+2=5 ....the chocolate ration will go UP from 30 gram to 25 grams


12 posted on 06/30/2015 11:28:46 AM PDT by tophat9000 (SCOTUS=Newspeak)
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To: Jeff Chandler

The editor hit 29.5 hours and had to go home.


13 posted on 06/30/2015 11:30:51 AM PDT by Veggie Todd (The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. TJ)
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To: Kaslin

Restoring the 40-hour work week should be the simple starting point of a larger conversation about how to help our generation’s job crisis.

...........................................................................

But Europeans don’t have a 40 hour work week and don’t we want to be more like them (communist/socialist)?


14 posted on 06/30/2015 11:31:48 AM PDT by Graybeard58
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To: Kaslin

Not sure this is relevant but I saw this morning on Fox News on their news banner at the bottom of the screen that the Labor Dept. is proposing new rules that if an employee works more than 40 hours per week and makes over $455 per week that they be entitled to over time compensation. This rule change will prevent companies from labeling them managers and exempt from OT pay.


15 posted on 06/30/2015 11:32:56 AM PDT by shotgun
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To: WayneS
With help from “The Supremes”, I’m sure Obama can get it lowered to 20 hours.

Of course that will require that the minimum wage be increased to $20/hr. in order to maintain a "living wage".

16 posted on 06/30/2015 11:33:21 AM PDT by oldbrowser (The kangaroos have taken over the supreme court.)
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To: Kaslin

Just have congress pass a blank sheet of paper. The president can fill in the details.


17 posted on 06/30/2015 11:33:25 AM PDT by Vince Ferrer
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To: oldbrowser

Of course!

I thought that went without saying.

;-)


18 posted on 06/30/2015 11:35:40 AM PDT by WayneS (Yeah, it's probably sarcasm...)
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To: shotgun

It would apply to me, and I am not in favor of it.


19 posted on 06/30/2015 11:36:20 AM PDT by WayneS (Yeah, it's probably sarcasm...)
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To: Kaslin

[[While Congress may not be able to undo the Court’s recent ruling, that doesn’t mean they can’t address another serious issue with the Affordable Care Act:]]

Let’s see- Have they EVER acted on their own to stop HC or ANYTHING this _resident has done? Nope! There is no reason to even have hope that they will I nthe future either


20 posted on 06/30/2015 11:37:29 AM PDT by Bob434
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