The Patriot Post® · ObamaCare: A Drag on the Economy

Perhaps the glitches in the Healthcare.gov website are emblematic of the economy and job creation as a whole – stuck in a never-ending loop with little choice but to pull the plug and start over. When the delayed September jobs report came out Tuesday, some were quick to tell us the news wasn’t all that bad – the headline unemployment rate declined to its lowest point in nearly five years at 7.2% and there was “little evidence” that employers were lopping off hours to avoid the pitfalls of mandatory insurance for their employees.

But beyond the numbers, the situation was still dire for many millions of unemployed Americans – who remain languishing without work a near-record 37 weeks on average – and reports compiled by the various regional Federal Reserve banks indicated that the effects of ObamaCare were a concern for job creation going forward despite the one-year delay in the employer mandate.

In their monthly Beige Book, the Federal Reserve made the case that “several Districts reported that contacts were cautious to expand payrolls, citing uncertainty surrounding the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and fiscal policy more generally.” Furthermore, the regional report from Richmond pointed out that “many smaller retailers have limited weekly hours per employee to control healthcare costs.”

This reduction is leading to a new phenomenon. “As a result,” continues the Richmond report, “some employees are taking second jobs, and a few firms are even partnering to help their employees ‘stitch together’ full time hours by working for both businesses.” Yet while the workers have enough hours to get by as ostensibly full-time workers, they would no longer necessarily qualify as full-time workers entitled to benefits. And guess where they have to go? They’re at the mercy of Healthcare.gov. If only we could pull the plug on the Obama regime and start over.