Classic Stossel: Obamacare — Transcript

Full transcript

1. 0:00Myth number six, Obamacare is good for
2. 0:03business.
3. 0:07>> [applause]
4. 0:08>> Democrats say it is. The fact is, it's
5. 0:11very good for small business. It's
6. 0:12incredibly good for small business. They
7. 0:14are why we committed ourselves to this
8. 0:16cause. The White House specifically says
9. 0:19on its website, myth debunked, business
10. 0:22will not suffer under health reform.
11. 0:24It's all good, Obamacare?
12. 0:26It's not going to hurt business? You
13. 0:28can't be wealthy unless you're healthy.
14. 0:30You may remember Congressman Alan
15. 0:32Grayson's support of Obamacare. Remember
16. 0:34the Republican plan, don't get sick. And
17. 0:37if you do get sick, die quickly. I was
18. 0:39surprised to learn Grayson used to be a
19. 0:41businessman. He helped create a tech
20. 0:43company called IDT. With Penny Talk from
21. 0:46IDT, international calls to You're an
22. 0:48unusual politician having really created
23. 0:51something, created wealth, run IDT. I
24. 0:53would think you would see the burden all
25. 0:55these rules put on businesses. Point to
26. 0:58one rule that actually has had a
27. 1:01dramatic impact on job creation or on
28. 1:04small business. Well, it's not so much
29. 1:06one rule, it's the pile of rules.
30. 1:09Here's Obamacare, and this is just the
31. 1:12start because many pages say the
32. 1:14secretary shall produce more regulation.
33. 1:17Well, put together that big pile of
34. 1:19rules. Which are the bad ones?
35. 1:21>> what about the tax on medical devices?
36. 1:23Bunch of Democrats now object to this.
37. 1:25>> [sighs and gasps]
38. 1:26>> Listen,
39. 1:27um
40. 1:28we have to pay for it somehow. Obamacare
41. 1:30imposes a steep tax on companies that
42. 1:33make medical devices. Things like
43. 1:35pacemakers, artificial limbs, digital
44. 1:38thermometers.
45. 1:39This can be a profitable business, but
46. 1:41it's also one that saves lives. The new
47. 1:44tax means they'll probably save fewer
48. 1:46lives. So now, even many Senate
49. 1:49Democrats want that part of Obamacare
50. 1:51killed. Don't we want more medical
51. 1:54devices?
52. 1:55>> When you pass a law that that costs
53. 1:57something,
54. 1:58you have to come up with the money for
55. 1:59it.
56. 2:00>> Obamacare also forces more business
57. 2:02owners to pay more for workers health
58. 2:04care. Lauren Goodrich runs restaurants
59. 2:07in Maine and New Hampshire. Thanks for
60. 2:09choosing Subway today. He hires lots of
61. 2:11kids and offers health insurance to most
62. 2:14full-time workers who stick around. You
63. 2:16got 20 Subway shops.
64. 2:18>> Yes. How many employees? I have 180
65. 2:20employees. So, Obamacare, the point is
66. 2:24to get your employees better health
67. 2:27care.
68. 2:27>> I think it's a noble cause, but I can't
69. 2:29provide for every single need of every
70. 2:31single employee. In a low-margin retail
71. 2:34restaurant business, this bill is
72. 2:36devastating. Goodrich says his profit
73. 2:38margin's already smaller cuz he's had to
74. 2:41pay specialists to try to explain
75. 2:43Obamacare's rules. Accountants and and
76. 2:46and insurance agents and lawyers to try
77. 2:48to figure out how I'm going to be able
78. 2:50to comply with the bill. And they still
79. 2:52but and they still can't give me the
80. 2:53answer.
81. 2:54>> What can I get for you? Obamacare says
82. 2:56he must buy expensive insurance for all
83. 2:58full-time workers or pay a fine. Either,
84. 3:01he says, will slash his profit. I can
85. 3:04hear the people listening saying, "So
86. 3:06what? He's a rich guy. He's got 20
87. 3:09stores. Make less profit."
88. 3:11>> Yeah, well, you could say that. Um but
89. 3:13you have to be have a profit to be able
90. 3:16to expand your business. I'm not going
91. 3:17to be hiring more people.
92. 3:19>> So raise prices.
93. 3:20>> I have so many customers that come in
94. 3:21with the exact change
95. 3:24for their lunch in their hand. They're
96. 3:26very, very price conscious.
97. 3:28>> I just wonder, who are these businesses
98. 3:29on the margin? You know, But there's
99. 3:32always some, just not sure if expanding
100. 3:35is going to make them a profit.
101. 3:36>> So, on the basis of that, we're going to
102. 3:38deny 15 million people coverage? It's
103. 3:41nice to give people coverage, but it
104. 3:43does impose costs. Goodrich says the
105. 3:46cost will force him to cut full-time
106. 3:49workers. I'll absolutely have to cut
107. 3:51many people down to part time. And
108. 3:53people the law was meant to help, maybe
109. 3:55him, maybe her, will be hurt.
110. 3:59They'll have to go get another job,
111. 4:00they'll have to work two jobs
112. 4:02to make ends meet, which is
113. 4:04sad. It's an extra burden. You're always
114. 4:07adding burdens.
115. 4:09Who is we? You, congressman. You
116. 4:11democratic congressman, especially. I
117. 4:15visited communist countries while they
118. 4:17were still communist, okay?
119. 4:19I know what it looks like to be in a
120. 4:21place where there really is a burden. I
121. 4:23don't see our country being that way.
122. 4:26And we're not, yet, but we should learn
123. 4:29from history and stop putting more
124. 4:31burdens on guys like him. You need me. I
125. 4:34employ your teenagers. Some have gone
126. 4:36off to run their own businesses because
127. 4:38of my training. My business is needed.