Will You Boycott Businesses That Avoid Paying Employee Health Insurance?

In response to Obamacare, some franchise owners are planning to cut employee hours to avoid providing health care.

Businesses across the country are attempting to formulate a response to the Affordable Health Care Act, with some business owners and restaurant franchisees saying they will be cutting hours. One of the latest cases is a Wendy's franchisee in Nebraska announcing it would cut employees' hours — affecting roughly 100 employees — to avoid providing health care. Wendy's Corporate, which directly operates stores in Massachusetts, has not discounted cutting employee hours even as they distance themselves from the statement out of Nebraska. "We are still reviewing our approach to the Affordable Care Act, when the employer mandate goes into effect in 2014," Wendy's Corporate Media Contact Bob Bertini told Patch this week. "Our franchisees are …

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Irene Del Bono

2:29 pm on Monday, January 14, 2013

milfordman, I generally go to a site like governing.com for national data comparing states (interestingly, this month highlights Massachusetts and what good shape it is in). Were you aware that Obamacare provides a disincentive for insurance companies to deny coverage, and so one way or another, either through reduced rates, or the rebates mandated by Obamacare, they have to fork over and can't …   more ›

Should the Supreme Court Repeal Obamacare? [Poll]

A decision from the Supreme Court on if Obamacare is constitutional is expected tomorrow.

The Supreme Court is expected to vote tomorrow on if President Obama's healthcare law is in violation of the United States Constitution.  Among the parts of the bill on the the table is the law's individual mandate, which requires all citizens to buy healthcare or face a fine.  "No matter how the Supreme Court rules, this is going to be a seismic decision," Michael Cannon, of the Cato Institute told Fox News. "If they uphold the individual mandate, if they strike down the individual mandate -- either way, they will be defining the relationship between the government and the citizens for decades to come." The court's decision could have huge implications on the upcoming presidential race, FoxNews.com said.  "The political implications of …

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Patch Facts

5 Things: Obamacare Decision, Merger with Holliston

Our weekday morning column, 5 Things You Need to Know, provides you with information that can help you plan your day and give you some fodder for water cooler conversations.

1. Obamacare Decision Might Come Today: With the end of the year looming for the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is expected to release rulings on some of their decisions today. They are scheduled for a release at 10 a.m. You can follow along on the live SCOUTS Blog starting just before 10 on their website. 2. Library Volunteers Needed: The Hopkinton Public Library is looking for youth volunteers to help in the children’s' room during the summer. Volunteers entering 7th grade and older are invited to stop in and talk to Mrs. K (Denise Kofron) upstairs. 3. Hopkinton Holliston Merger: If you missed it last week, it was announced that Hopkinton and Holliston Patch will soon be merged . You can leave your bookmarks for the short…

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POLL: Would a Court Decision Against 'Obamacare' Impact MA Regulations?

With the US Supreme Court hearing arguments this week about the Affordable Care Act, we want to know what you think about the 6-year-old state mandate.

In 2006 Governor Mitt Romney introduced Massachusetts to a bill mandating all citizens to have health care. According to a Boston.com article the Massachusetts bill hasn't faced a legal challenge since it was passed. The federal mandate, on the other hand, was challenged immediately and is before the US Supreme Court. According to the article there are people who say if the federal legislation is overturned the state mandate will be challanged as well. Opponents of the bill say it is unconstitutional to force any citizen to buy a product, in this case health care.  Proponents of the bill argue that buy requiring everyone to have health care the cost will be driven down. We want to know what you think about the health care law. Share your …

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Poll: Should the Supreme Court Repeal Obamacare?

Legal cases against the Affordable Care Act will go to the Supreme Court on Monday.

Monday's Supreme Court hearings on the Affordable Care Act will pit the Obama administration against 26 states and several private parties hoping to challenge the congressional power asserted in the legislation critics derisively call "Obamacare." Much of the planned six hours of oral arguments will aim at the act's "individual mandate," which requires each U.S. citizent to purchace healthcare, the Huffington Post reports. "The Obama administration says the mandate falls squarely within Congress's ability to regulate national markets. The challengers contend that the mandate is an unprecedented encroachment on state power and personal liberty," The Huffington Post reported.  What do you think? Should Congress repeal the Affordable Care Act…

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Colossus

10:54 am on Saturday, March 31, 2012

Me not having health insurance because of an illness doesn't have the potential to kill twenty people on the freeway; my automobile that just blew a tire on the freeway does.   more ›