Gallup Headline: “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them.” (Dennis Jacobe, “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup , 5/10/13)

Small-Business Owners Are Worried About ObamaCare And Its Impact On Their Livelihoods. “Small-business owners are worried about the way the Affordable Care Act is going to affect their business, with about half believing the law is going to be bad for business, add to their healthcare costs, and simultaneously reduce the quality of care they and their employees receive.” (Dennis Jacobe, “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup , 5/10/13)

• “Forty-Eight Percent Of U.S. Small-Business Owners Say” That ObamaCare “Is Going To Be Bad For Their Business.” “Forty-eight percent of U.S. small-business owners say the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA) is going to be bad for their business, compared with 9% who say it is going to be good, and 39% who expect no impact.” (Dennis Jacobe, “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup , 5/10/13; Gallup, 603 SBO, MoE 4%, 4/1-5/13)

Over Half Of Small Business Owners Expect ObamaCare To Increase Costs And Reduce Health Care Quality

55 Percent Of Small Business Owners Anticipate Health Care Costs To Increase. “In a separate question, 55% of small-business owners expect the money they pay for healthcare to increase. Five percent expect their healthcare costs to decline, while 37% say the health law will have no impact on what they pay for healthcare.” (Dennis Jacobe, “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup , 5/10/13; Gallup, 603 SBO, MoE 4%, 4/1-5/13)

“52 Percent Of Owners” Say That ObamaCare Will “Reduce The Quality Of Health Care They And Their Employees Receive.” “Similarly, 52% of owners say the ACA is going to reduce the quality of health care they and their employees receive. This contrasts with 13% who feel it will improve the quality of care their employees get, and 30% who see no impact.” (Dennis Jacobe, “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup , 5/10/13; Gallup, 603 SBO, MoE 4%, 4/1-5/13)

• “One In Four Owners (24%) Have Thought About Eliminating Health Care Coverage For Their Employees.” (Dennis Jacobe, “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup , 5/10/13; Gallup, 603 SBO, MoE 4%, 4/1-5/13)

ObamaCare’s Mandates Are Forcing Small Businesses To Curb Hiring And Shelve Plans To Expand

Under ObamaCare, “41 Percent Of Small-Business Owners Say They Have Held Off On Hiring New Employees And 38 Percent Have Pulled Back On Plans To Grow Their Business.” “When asked if they had taken any of five specific actions in response to the ACA, 41% of small-business owners say they have held off on hiring new employees and 38% have pulled back on plans to grow their business.” (Dennis Jacobe, “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup , 5/10/13; Gallup, 603 SBO, MoE 4%, 4/1-5/13)

• Nearly Four In 10 Small-Business Owners Plan To Hold Off Hiring And Expanding, While “One In Five Say They Are Letting People Go Or Cutting Employees’ Hours.” “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.” (Dennis Jacobe, “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup , 5/10/13; Gallup, 603 SBO, MoE 4%, 4/1-5/13)

“One In Five (19%) Have Reduced Their Number Of Employees And Essentially The Same Number (18%) Have Cut Employee Hours In Response To The Health Care Law.” (Dennis Jacobe, “Half of U.S. Small Businesses Think Health Law Bad for Them,” Gallup , 5/10/13; Gallup, 603 SBO, MoE 4%, 4/1-5/13)

SENATE DEMOCRATS ARE CONCEDING THAT OBAMACARE WILL HURT SMALL BUSINESSES IN THEIR STATE

Democrats Are Now Being More Vocal In Their Criticism Of ObamaCare, Partly Due To The Negative Effects On Small Business. “But they’re more willing to support certain changes to the law, such as repealing its medical device tax. And they’re more open to criticizing the implementation – particularly on an issue like choices for small businesses, which was a key part of the rhetorical push to pass healthcare reform in 2010.” (Sam Baker, “ObamaCare Takes Friendly Fire,” The Hill’s Health Watch, 4/12/13)

• Facing Reelection In 2014, Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) Told The White House That Small Businesses In Her State Are Clueless In Complying With ObamaCare. “Senator Jeanne Shaheen, Democrat of New Hampshire, who is up for re-election next year, said, ‘We are hearing from a lot of small businesses in New Hampshire that do not know how to comply with the law.’” (Robert Pear, “Democratic Senators Tell White House Of Concerns About Health Care Law Rollout,” The New York Times , 4/26/13)
   
• Senator Angus King (I-ME), Who Caucuses With Senate Democrats Said That He Is Concerned That ObamaCare’s Regulations Will Have A Negative Impact On His Constituents And Maine’s Small Businesses. “‘I’m very worried about the regulations that are going to be coming out over the next several months,’ he added, noting that his concern was based on feedback from constituents and businesses. ‘I really think it’s a danger to the future of the law if the regulations are not well thought out and minimally intrusive in order to achieve their ends.’” (Julian Hattem, “Angus King: Regulators Could Jeopardize ObamaCare,” The Hill’s Reg Watch, 5/9/13)