Franchise owners to Congress: Changes must be made to #Obamacare

The Hill reports this morning that some restaurant franchise owners have taken their fight to change Obamacare directly to DC:

Franchise restaurant owners have come to Washington seeking a change to ObamaCare that they say could prevent them from having to cut their employees’ hours.

The healthcare law requires large employers to provide insurance to employees who work at least 30 hours per week.

Franchise owners say the employer mandate threatens to erase their narrow profit margins and are telling lawmakers they need to overhaul the law before it’s too late.

“Employees won’t have the hours they need, and they won’t get employer-sponsored healthcare, either,” said Steve Caldeira, president and CEO of the International Franchise Association (IFA).

“[Franchisees] are dealing with high commodity costs, high energy prices, higher taxes from the ‘fiscal-cliff’ deal, and now they are trying to work through ObamaCare,” he said.

More than 300 members of the franchise association are making the rounds on Capitol Hill to lobby for the ObamaCare changes. Monday’s visitors included IFA members from Mr. Rooter, McDonald’s and Dunkin Donuts.

Their top priority is a trio of bills that would increase the law’s definition of full-time employee to 40 hours per week. Members of the IFA have been instructed to ask lawmakers whether they will co-sponsor legislation “to give employers and employees relief from burdensome employer regulations?”

If you consider the fact that America has largely become a nation of part timers thanks to the so-called “Affordable Care Act”, and that some franchisees are actually holding off on expansion because of the uncertain future of the economy – especially as it relates to the ACA, these franchise owners are absolutely right. They need employees, they need customers and they can’t keep both happy if they have to keep raising the costs of doing business and keep lowering the number of hours their employees work in order to survive. Something’s got to change, and it needs to be Obamacare.  Pronto. I’d like a complete repeal, but a partial to complete overhaul is more likely over the long term – depending on who occupies the White House after the 2016 election.

Make sure to read the full article at The Hill for more on the changes these franchises are asking for.