According to the United States Census Bureau, Texas has the highest rate of uninsured citizens when it comes to health care, with about 19% being uninsured. To counteract this, the federal government has implemented the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. While trying to reduce the uninsured rate is a noble goal, there are just too many problems with the government’s methods. Not only does Obamacare harm businesses and the economy, but the average individual will have to pay higher premiums for their healthcare and it is just plain unconstitutional. One of the largest problems people have with Obamacare is that it harms businesses in many ways. One of the reasons it harms businesses is because the bill requires businesses with 50 or more full time …show more content…
This part of Obamacare is having detrimental effects on small businesses and the economy. Many small businesses are now forced to either cap their payrolls at 49 full time employees, or limit their employees to 29 hours a week, because they cannot afford to pay the tax or offer the health plans to their employees. This has led to a surge in people who simply cannot find full time jobs and according to The Wall Street Journal, this part of Obamacare will “cost the franchise industry $6.4 billion and put 3.2 million jobs ‘at risk’” (“Obamacare and the ‘29ers’”). Another way Obamacare harms businesses and the economy is by incentivizing businesses to move their business out of the United States. This is happening because of a 2.3% tax on the U.S. sale of medical devices that came with Obamacare. While 2.3% does not seem like a lot, this tax is enforced on the company’s revenue, not profits. According to Hawkins, this 2.3% translates to about 15% of profits for most companies. With many U.S. corporations having to pay a 35% federal income tax, the extra 15% means that some U.S. medical companies will have to pay close to 50% of their profits in taxes. Hawkins