Papa John's pizza restaurant owner Judy Nichols' has put the restaurant's expansion plans on hold due to the uncertainty over the impact "Obamacare" on the business operations, according to a report.
"I want to open a new restaurant, but without knowing how Obamacare will affect me, I can't make plans," Nichols said at a recent community forum in Beaumont on the new Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act, according to Legal News Line.
The new "Obamacare" leaves Nichols with a lot of uncertainty so for the time being, plans for a new store in Southeast Texas has been placed on hold. Nichols had already purchased property and had blueprints drawn to begin building, but is shelving plans for now saying she has no idea how to budget for the federal mandate.
The "Obamacare" mandate, which the high court determined was a tax, requires individuals to purchase medical insurance or pay a penalty. Companies employing 50 or more people but which do not offer health insurance will have to pay a tax of $2,000 per employee. Beginning August 1, employers must amend their health insurance offerings to include drugs and services such as abortion-inducing drugs, contraception, and sterilization services. Companies will be fined $100 per employee per day for non-compliance
Nichols currently has 85 employees and has a private carrier insurance plan in place. Each employee pays $90 per month, and Nichols matches that with $90 to cover the whole premium.
"That's the cost if I continue to provide insurance. So I have two options, I can stop offering coverage and pay the $2,000 fine, or I could keep my number of staff under 50 so the mandate doesn't apply.
"I want to grow and hire more people, but Obamacare is making me think about cutting jobs instead," Nichols said.
