I am the owner of a small business, organized and operated in Texas. During the Great Recession, we have invested substantial capital funds in Texas, and grown our business to add to our employment by over 50 new jobs between ourselves and our closely related client. These are good permanent high technology jobs that will remain in Texas for the next 50 or more years.
We have always provided excellent health care insurance for our employees; at no cost to them. Yes, we pay 100% of the cost, with nothing taken from my employee’s pay check. We recognize that providing that important security to them and their families as the right thing to do; something we want for ourselves and want to share with our employees. Something we recognize many would choose to risk not having if they were to spend their own money to provide. Our average cost to provide this health insurance per employee and their family is approximately $10,000 per year.
Since January 2013 my personal taxes have been raised substantially by the Federal Government specifically to fund Obamacare. As yet, no benefit has been provided to me or my employees in exchange for those increased taxes. We already have good health care, and needed no help from the Federal Government. However, the Obamacare tax increase is approximately equal to our current year’s health care cost expenditure for my entire company. Furthermore, my insurance company increased our health insurance cost by 16% to offset additional costs of Obamacare’s newly mandated coverages and features. Ouch! However, the increase would have been a whopping 35% if we had not renewed coverage in December, rather than our normal January renewal. What will it be in December 2014??
Now here is the big idea. I have given my General Manager direction to carefully monitor Obamacare’s mandates, tax impacts, and new insurance costs. I believe in my soul that it is not a matter of IF but WHEN I will be forced to cancel health insurance for my employees and force them to rely on the Federal Government’s inferior coverage. It is a simple matter of being caught in the squeeze. Higher Federal taxes to provide government health insurance, and higher private insurance costs to respond to government mandates. I simply can’t afford to have it both ways.
For now, I have swallowed hard, payed the Obamacare tax increase while I keep funding my employee’s health insurance. I am waiting for some sanity in Washington. I don’t think I can bear this burden into 2015 if the taxes and insurance costs remain heading the same direction they have been set on since the enactment of Obamacare.
Reject Obamacare’s mandates that force higher costs upon small businesses who are already doing what is right and providing health insurance to their employees. Those mandates will raise the cost of our already excellent health care to the point that we cannot afford to provide it. We don’t have a junk plan. We have great private market health insurance. We want to keep it.
Reject higher taxes to provide Federal Government health care when small business are already doing what is right for their people. I don’t see why it is right or fair that I have to pay substantially higher taxes to the Federal Government so that they can fund health care, when I am already paying 100% of the cost of my employee’s health insurance.
Reject restrictions on competition in the health care marketplace. These are primarily put in place by corporations lobbying State and Federal governments so they can enjoy limited or no competition thru excessive regulation, restrictive licensure, and other barriers to the free market. Break down these walls so that the free market can do what it does best; provide better and better goods and services at the lowest possible cost.
Help us now, in late 2013 and in 2014! I know we can’t hold out until 2015 following the course we are on.
Thank you Senator Cruz. You have my continued support.
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