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 ›

Wendy's Responds to Obamacare; Cutting Hours

The Wendy's Corporation has not yet formulated a plan to respond to the Affordable Care Act as a Nebraska franchisee will cut non-managerial positions to 28 hours a week.

Officials from the Wendy's Corporation said they have not formulated a plan to respond to the Affordable Care Act after a Wendy's franchisee in Nebraska announced that they would cut employees hours to avoid providing health care. "We are still reviewing our approach to the Affordable Care Act, when the employer mandate goes into effect in 2014," said Wendy's Corporate Media Contact Bob Bertini of company-operated restaurants. The company does not provide a breakdown of company and franchise restaurants, said Bertini. In the immediate area, however, the Wendy's Restaurants in Marlborough, Westborough (at 300 Turnpike Road) and Southborough are all operated by Wendy's Corporate. Gary Burdette, the Vice President of Operations for the …

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Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor: Brown's Health Care Policy Harmful to Westborough Seniors

Seniors face higher costs, fewer benefits, author says.

To the Editor: According to the 2010 Census, 2,338 people age 65 and older live in Westborough, and every one of them should be deeply concerned about Republican Scott Brown’s health care policy.  The centerpiece of Brown’s health care policy is working to repeal the Affordable Care Act, the federal health care reform law known as ObamaCare. National health care advocacy organization Community Catalyst Action Fund released a new analysis finding that, if the Affordable Care Act (“ObamaCare”) is repealed, senior citizens in Westborough and across Massachusetts will be saddled with higher costs and fewer benefits. ObamaCare, as it is known, lowers seniors’ Medicare premiums and out-of-pocket costs by an estimated $500 per year.  This means …

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US Supreme Court To Hear Health Care Challenge [POLL]

Proponents and opponents of the Affordable Care Act prepare to go before the judges beginning on Monday.

  The Affordable Care Act comes before the US Supreme Court on Monday, March 26 in what will be a heavily watched legal and verbal boxing match on mandated health care coverage. At issue is whether the government overstepped its authority in mandating Americans to purchase minimum health care coverage or else pay a tax penalty. In one corner is the Obama administration, holding firm that it is within the federal government’s authority to regulate national markets. In the other corner are 26 states and several private parties who feel that the government overstepped its power. In today’s poll question, we ask: Was the federal government within its authority to approve the Affordable Care Act?

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