Monday, November 19, 2012
Some franchise owners of these popular chains are making big changes to offset costs of Obamacare, but it's causing some customers to rethink which businesses they'll support.
Several franchise owners of popular restaurant chains say that the Affordable Care Act or Obamacare will increase costs for small business owners—and in order to offset costs they are adding surcharges to bills, threatening layoffs and more. According to the Huffington Post, John Metz, a Florida-based Denny's franchise owner, is adding a 5 percent surcharge to customers' bills to offset costs for healthcare. Apple-Metro CEO Zane Tankel, who owns more than 40 Applebee's chains in the metro New York area, slammed Obamacare on Fox Business Network, Huffington Post reported, stating he would not hire any more employees and may cut the hours of current employees. But a Twitter campaign has already begun against Papa John's after CEO John …
Thursday, June 28, 2012
The Republican who represents Carroll and Howard counties said the health care law would be a major election issue.
Republican Sen. Allan Kittleman, who represents Howard and Carroll counties, said the Supreme Court’s Thursday decision to uphold the individual mandate that requires the purchase of insurance as a tax would be a major election issue. “I think it’s going to be one of the, if not the biggest issue in the election,” Kittleman told Patch. “It could be an albatross to hang around the president’s neck and make it difficult for re-election.” Kittleman, who may be considering a run for Howard County Executive, said Thursday that he was “disappointed” by the Supreme Court’s decision. “I’m glad the court said it violated the Commerce Act,” he said. “My concern--it seems the justices have stretched to find it valid under the power of taxing …
Patch spoke to residents in Maryland about the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act.
The Supreme Court, in a split decision, has upheld the individual mandate that requires the purchase of insurance as a tax. In a 5-4 opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the majority of the court rejected arguments that the law violated the Constitution's interstate commerce clause. But in holding that the penalty for failing to purchase health insuance was a tax, the Supreme Court kept the act's individual mandate in place. Cherise Tasker, of Columbia, says there should be no Americans left uninsured. "I feel that health care is a right, not a privilege," Tasker said. "It's not a sign of a compassionate country if there are 45 million uninsured people who can only go to the emergency room if they want care, and whose basic …
Do you think President Obama's re-election efforts have been helped by court's ruling?
Much of Maryland is split on Thursday's Supreme Court ruling. Some analysts felt President Barack Obama scored a huge win Thursday. Some officials felt Republican challenger Mitt Romney will benefit from conservative momentum following the decision. Either way, Thursday's Supreme Court ruling—one that upheld the individual mandate that requires the purchase of insurance as a tax—thrust health care to the top of the list of campaign topics heading toward November. We want to hear from you. Vote in our poll. Then tell us in the comments if Thursday's ruling has changed or cemented your vote this November.
‘We will be both the educator and the navigator for enrollment.’ - Dr. Peter Beilenson, Howard County Health Officer.
This story was updated at 2:30 p.m. to include more reaction from Howard County leaders. Howard County officials applauded Thursday’s Supreme Court decision, saying it would provide coverage for “hundreds of thousands of Maryland residents,” but cautioned that hard work was ahead to connect people to health insurance. On Twitter, Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said: "#ACA is upheld & lots of hard work ahead. Looking forward to using the Healthy Howard model to connect Marylanders w/afford. care they need." Ulman was referring to the Healthy Howard nonprofit organization, which has made national headlines for its health plan that has provided health services to 1,700 uninsured residents since it starting enrolling people in 2008. The …
What does the Supreme Court's ruling on Affordable Health Care mean to you?
Various media are reporting that the Supreme Court has upheld the individual mandate that requires the purchase of insurance as a tax. Stay with Patch throughout the day for updates and local reaction. What does it mean to you? Vote in our poll. While you're at it, don't just vote. Tell us why. Leave a comment, sharing your take on today's ruling. ——— NOTE: This poll is published throughout Maryland's network of Patch sites.
Families USA praise court decision. Rep. Andy Harris calls for the repeal of the law.
UPDATED (3:11 p.m.)—The Supreme Court, in a split decision, has upheld the individual mandate that requires the purchase of insurance as a tax. The announcement allows the Affordable Care Act championed by President Barack Obama to move forward. It's expected that the law would offer health care to more than 30 million Americans, according to the Huffington Post. In a 5-4 opinion, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that the majority of the court rejected arguments that the law violated the Constitution's interstate commerce clause. "The individual mandate forces individuals into commerce precisely because they elected to refrain from commercial activity," Roberts wrote. "Such a law cannot be sustained under a clause authorizing Congress to “…
H.R. Pufnstuf
3:19 pm on Saturday, November 24, 2012
Jackie, I'm happy to have a discussion using logic and reason. I don't have all day to read your anecdotal stories and emotional pleas. For goodness sakes you can't even google "tldr" to find out what it means. more ›