A Gallup survey published on Friday found that nearly half of U.S.-based small businesses see the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) as bad for their businesses. Nine percent thought it would be good for business (they’re probably in the business of explaining the mess) and 39% said it would not affect their business. From the “implications” section of the survey report:
“…more important for the U.S. economy in the short term is what small-business owners say they are already doing in anticipation of the new law’s continuing implementation. About four in 10 say they are holding off on hiring and new growth plans. About one in five say they are letting people go or cutting employees’ hours. Even after discounting small-business owners’ political views, these actions suggest the ACA could be a significant drag on the U.S. economy — at least in the short term.”
The survey also uncovered that Obamacare had caused 41% of small business owners to hold off hiring new employees and had caused 38% to pull back on plans to grow their businesses. The nationwide landline and cell phone survey of 605 small business owners was conducted on April 1-5, 2013.
This does not bode well for Colorado, whose economy is quite dependent on small businesses. According to the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, “small businesses represent 97% of all employing businesses in Colorado, being a dominant source of new job creation in the State.” Between Obamacare’s crushing burdens and the Democratic legislature’s targeting of businesses during the past legislative session, why on earth would small businesses have any incentive to grow? Of course, the bigger question, perhaps, is why Coloradans put up with it.
Will the delayed start date of OBAMACARE affect the US unemployment rate? The U.S. healthcare reform (“Obama Care” or the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”) is intended to pressure large and small employers through force and taxation.
Enacted in July 2010, the end result will show North American companies deciding to send appointment setting, sales, lead generation and customer support jobs offshore to stay competitive or risk going out of business. Many business owners will hire a dedicated bilingual employee nearshore who is 100% qualified for their project. Financially speaking, ESL call center employees in Costa Rica are as effective as transitional in-house staff for half of the cost.
This proven strategy will give small to medium sized companies the option to scale up their BPO staff without getting caught in the Obamacare challenge in 2015.
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