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Obamacare: Now Appearing On Your Restaurant Bill
That the bulk of Americans (especially those 4+ million whose insurance policies have recently been cancelled as a result of the ACA) have to pay more for healthcare as a result of Obamacare, is now largely accepted and well-known. But did you know that the cost of Obamacare is slowly metastasizing to other places? Such as your restaurant bill.
Presenting Exhibit A.
Several restaurants in a Florida chain are asking customers to help foot the bill for Obamacare. Diners at eight Gator's Dockside casual eateries are finding a 1% Affordable Care Act surcharge on their tabs, which comes to 15 cents on a typical $15 lunch tab. Signs on the door and at tables alert diners to the fee, which is also listed separately on the bill.
The Gator Group's full-time hourly employees won't actually receive health insurance until December. But the company said it implemented the surcharge now because of the compliance costs it's facing ahead of the Affordable Care Act's employer mandate kicking in in 2015.
"The costs associated with ACA compliance could ultimately close our doors," the sign reads. "Instead of raising prices on our products to generate the additional revenue needed to cover the costs of ACA compliance, certain Gator's Dockside locations have implemented a 1% surcharge on all food and beverage purchases only."
The company employs a total of 500 people, with about half working full-time. Currently only management receives health benefits, but the restaurant will have to offer coverage to all full-timers once the mandate takes effect. The fee will allow the company to continue offering full-time hours to many workers, according to Sandra Clark, the group's director of operations.
"I'm just trying to keep the employees I have that I've worked hard to train," Clark said.
In addition to the costs of providing health care, the company hired one additional staffer and a consulting firm to make sure it is complying with the law and to assist in the additional tracking of workers' hours and wages required by Obamacare, said Clark.
Clark is not sure how much the company is spending on compliance, but estimates that it will cost $500,000 a year to extend insurance to its full-time hourly restaurant workers. The surcharge may bring in about $160,000 a year, she hopes.
So more surcharges coming then.
The bottom line decision for businesses: fire your workers, or pass through the costs to other consumers. Many have done the fomer, or converted full-time workers to part-time status. Increasingly more are opting for the latter. How long until the popular outcry that this latest "freebie" by the government was anything but.
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I'm still reeling from the universal service charge on my phone bill which buys everyone Obama phones.
I would make the tip $1.85 instead of $2 on a $15.00 tab! And let the waiter know!
The tip should be 3 or 4 dollars.
And when u visit again I'm sure they won't spit in your food.
Like its the waiter's fault.
If you aren't going to tip 15%, don't go out to a sit-down restaurant. Your embarrass yourself and the people you are with.
Holy cow, a 7% sales tax? I thought you were the home of the free. Just think of the 1% aca as a Federal GST VAT and wait for it to go to 5%.
Easy fix: Adjust your tip, accordingly.
Its not the employee's fault.
The reason obama was able to run so effectively was that he we claiming there was going to be a public option type healthcare program. Which would have brought the prices of private health care down to affordable levels. When he got elected, the health care act that was passed was anything but a publice option.
Bingo! All Obama did with the ACA was to codify into law our private, costly, corrupt and inefficient health care delivery system.
Pre Obamacare tip on this bill $5......Post Obamacare tip $0.
$5 - .20¢ = $4.80 savings.
So you are going to stiff a working person because his/her employer is pissed at Obama? Right.
That's about the size of it.
I think the state will get involved here as that surcharge should be sales taxed. Instead it is presented as a line item after sales tax.
Owner is all proud of herself right now but this will end up turning into her worst nightmare. Count on it.
I live in Florida and always thought Gator's sucked so i wouldn't be going there anyways.
You're right it is a political statement from the owner. It will be stopped. In Canada an employer handed his employees cash on pay-day. He presented them with a large bundle of notes and then took almost half away for various taxes and benefit programs. Revenue Canada or some other govt agency put a stop to that.
how can one person RUIN our country so badly?
He has 535 helpers in the house and senate and nine more in the SCOTUS.
He has 535 helpers in the house and senate and nine more in the SCOTUS.
and a legacy of assistance dating back to wilson not to mention an incredibly ignorant electorate stuck on stupid with a one party system masquerading as a real choice between shades of black.
and 100,000,000+ more in the U.S.
Don't forget K Street.
The price of the ACA will filter through all prices, we will all pay it. I like this, because it makes clear that nothing politician offers for "free" is free.
The wait-staff work for tips. If you stiff them they will not be there next time. Then you will have to go to McD's for lunch.
More reason to stay (Stay The Fuck Home)
Brilliant way for owner to extort more money from customers. Customers don't mind because they're pissed about ACA and sympathize with owner.
Instead of increasing our prices, we're raising your bill.
This is just unprofessional. Don't air out your dirty laundry to your customers. Just make the adjusts and move on.
you Sir are living proof that some people prefer to remain ignorant. Shouldn't you be watching Maury instead of reading Zero Hedge?
Thanks for contribution. Really. Thank you. Because I was missing the "snarky little fuck says nothing of import" moment of the day on ZH. You win the award. Let's have a party. You can invite all your mom. I'm sure she's proud of you.
" 'tis better to say nothing and be thought a fool than to comment yet again and remove all doubt"
Now, an exercise for you,
convert that phrase to Latin.
and don't forget the 10% surcharge for legal fees on the non LGBTXYZ compliant bathroom!
Where are the line items for Afghanistan and NSA Data Services?
can you refuse to pay?
U turn at the sign at the door advising of the ACA surchrge... see ya
There are programs where you can create anything from restaurant bills to church signs and post it on the intertubes. There is a lot of CreAtiviTY in fucking off.
Of course, much of the Ohbahmacare cost is due to the free health care lavished upon illegal immigrants. Your friendly Deutsche Bank is using its Fed Reserve and European QE money financing that very same immigration. To campaign to sue them visit www.kingoftherepublic.com.
OBAMA CARE!?!?!?
WHO CARES!!!!
WATCH THIS!!! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0386032/
A documentary comparing the highly profitable American health care industry to other nations, and HMO horror stories.
wake up americans!!!!
Like I have to eat out.
This is great, the cost will inevitably come out in all products and services. The fact that it is so clearly itemized in this case will help to further educate people about the impact on their immediate activities. One more nail in an already inescapable coffin.....
Pay your taxes everyone, Hahaha
/sarc
yet another reason not to go to a restaurant
Obama Chili Dog - ACA Surcharge .$0.50
Buffet Steak Din Din - ACA Surcharge $0.85
Healthy Single Male Premium Surcharge $120 per month
Uninsurable Obese Person Premium Credit <$120> per month
“The American Health Care Act, Now Cheaper by the Pound!”
The ultimate diversion from matters that truly matter -- Fukushima, a topic on which ZH seems VERY THIN, geoengineering, an equally slow kill of people, GMOs, HEY! no econimic downside or upside or relevance?? -- will be the confiscation or reallocation of wealth you have to those who need still more than they have already garnered, as chronicled on ZH. But, then, the Tylers know all this, having practiced same themselves, I understand.
Totally agree A. The cost of health care is spiralling everywhere in the Western world....do people really think that without ACA health care would be cheap and everything would be rosy? It may have increased costs but it is a very minor issue in the scheme of things....how about derivatives, tax shelters, corruption, price fixing,environmental disaster,multinationals paying no taxes and moving jobs to third world countries, bad hair days, Cramer, people who drive slowly in the fast lane, the list goes on and on.....
WRONG! GW does keep up with Fukushima - try again. Search the site.
Maybe they can securitize the ACA charges in recievable backed issue. I think the excise tax scams are going to pop up via ACA line item being pocketed just like the gasoline distributors do. ACA will provide more opportunities to run healthcare scams since the folks running it cannot be accountable. Imagine if you will the various reconciling state funds tracking the payments from business. The business will of course find a third party processor who may or may not be an auditable entity. So the cost in shrinkage will expand rapidly over a larger group of people and the consumer will be held liable. ACA how does it apply to expat Gringos?
This could have been more generically labeled the Not My Fault Surcharge or more precisely the HIRE (Health Insurance Rent Extraction) Surcharge Soon no doubt it will be extended to natural as well as political disasters: the Polar Vortex Surcharge, the California Drought Surcharge, the Brazilian Drought Surcharge . . .
ACA is nothing.
Without the "Fed getting you up the azz" charge already built into your subtotal and sales tax, your bill would be half that.
Lunch for 1 person! That's gluttony. Perhaps the healthcare charge should have been higher.
Is this a joke? Isn't such a surcharge prohibited by the ACA as too embarassing? If not, you can bet it's going to be criminalized by Holder and his goons rather quickly.
everyone commenting today must eat nothing but peanut butter out of the jar in their moms basements
Imagine the part-time employee, collecting for the full time's health care. There's just something deliciously wicked about that.
It's a big ole shit sandwich and we all get a bite!
"It's a big ole shit sandwich and we all get a bite!"
Where's the bread?
If you like your bread you can keep your bread!
Marxism is like heroin. The junkie keeps doing more to get that first high, until he kills himself.
Seriously??? The -isms just confuse the rubes. The Oligarchs are laughing from on high. It's all too easy.
At long last, an Obamacare article. Please read the following, fellow ZHers. It is a consequence of Obamacare that may easily affect your family. I posted it once last week; here it is again:
Dear fellow ZHers. If you are between the ages of 55 and 65, or if your children are in or nearing that age range, or if your grandchildren will be and you care about their keeping money that you may give/bequeath to them, you need to know the Medicaid clawback rules in your state. Seriously. You could be in for a major surprise screwing if you are not prepared.
What do I care, you say. No way am I going to end up on Medicaid. I'm not poor; I have assets, and in any case I can just tell them NO.
Unfortunately, it is no longer easy to say "no" to Medicaid.
Millions of people are now going onto Medicaid who never before would have been considered "Medicaid sorts of people." This is because
a) you can now have a much higher income than in the past (in the states that have expanded Medicaid), and still "qualify" for Medicaid,
b) there is now no asset test. You can literally have a million dollars in the bank and still "qualify" for Medicaid, if your income is low enough,
c) people now have no choice in many instances: they are being put on Medicaid whether they want to be or not. See the WSJ article (http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303531204579207724152219590)(Obamacare forced Mom into Medicaid). For instance, per the WSJ article, if you go onto the exchanges and start entering stuff, and the computer determines your income is low, it will put you onto Medicaid. You have no choice. Or in states that have accepted federal Medicaid-extension money, if you apply for food stamps you will automatically be put onto Medicaid.
So what happens when you end up on Medicaid? Doesn't that mean that you get some great free government benefit? Yes, if you are under age 55 (at least for now); it is all gravy. and yes if you have no assets, and never will get any assets (a future job that allows you to save money, or an inheritance) - in that case you are simply getting something. But what if you have assets? Or come to have assets later on? (And as we see, there will be many people now on Medicaid who have assets.) Then you have the potential to be asset stripped.
If you are given nursing home care via Medicaid between the age of 55 and 65, the cost of that care will be clawed back from your estate when you die. So the Medicaid nursing home benefit, was just a loan to you. A lien on your estate. You have to pay it back. That has been the case for a long time; it is required by federal law and is the case in every state.
Well, not many 55-65 year-olds end up in extended care. But what if you get other care from Medicaid, between the ages of 55 and 65? What if you break a leg? Get cancer? In some states, the cost of any care that Medicaid provides, will be clawed back from your estate!!! This can even include the imputed cost of Medicaid "premiums" (or in Arizona, capitation fees of $3340 a month even if you receive no care at all!!!) This fabulous "Medicaid benefit", is just a LOAN!!!!!!! A lien on your estate for the rest of your life.
This has been the case for many years. Some states will claw back the cost of any service that is given, some states just extended care costs. States change in what they claw back; it is a moving target. What is different now, is that Medicaid is being applied to a much broader group of people, some of whom actually have a lot of money to strip. Or, more relevantly, middle class people who have a modest home and a little bit of savings that they were hoping to pass on.
So say you live in a state that will claw back anything it spends on you. You are 55, you are broke, you get cancer; the state spends 250k to treat it (absurdly inflated, naturally). All better by age 56? The lien for the cost of that care will follow you forever. Save up money for your kids between then and age 85 due to hard work? Your lien will take some or all of it away. Inherit a house at age 58? It looks like you can't sell it and use the money at will; the lien will apply to it.
Is all of this fair? Is it right? The main thing is that people are not being told. People are signing onto Medicaid, or being dumped on it, and thinking "Yippee, free medical care with no strings attached." And no-one is telling them otherwise. If Medicaid were a consumer product with that level of disclosure, and that level of asset stripping, presumably the government would shut it down (um, /sarc). But here it is the government that is doing the stripping, so no disclosure is required. The info is leaking out, sometimes on liberal sites: here is a good post (http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/10/21/1249471/-Estate-Recovery-It-s-Worse-Than-You-Thought). Please read that one even though it is the Daily Kos; it is factual, not ideological.
The organizations that you would think might protect you or give you helpful info, are throwing you under the bus: Consumer Reports and AARP. I emailed back and forth with Nancy Metcalf of Consumer reports, and this was her final email to me:
"I don’t care whether you think of Medicaid as a lien (which it isn’t in the states that aren’t doing expanded estate recovery) or insurance or simply a direct-pay government benefit, everyone who’s eligible should take it. Lack of immediate and easy access to medical care is simply bad for one’s health." (here is my reply. Yes, I know it is Naked Capitalism; so be it; they have been covering this issue for a while now with care): http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2014/02/nc-reader-smacks-consumer-reports-medicaid-clawback-advice.html) So Consumer Reports, which happily devotes ten pages of magazine space to the decision of which cable provider is best for whom, is telling you to "just sign up" for Medicaid. No research needed; just do it; don't worry your silly little head about clawbacks.
In the case of AARP, this is what the vice president of AARP says (original quote from a Washington Post article)(linked here from another Daily Kos post by the same actual info-seeker:http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/01/26/1272692/-WaPo-on-Estate-Recovery-Experts-agree-everything-is-fine)
““I would inquire about the application of [Medicaid asset recovery], but I wouldn’t succumb to the fear of rules you don’t understand as a reason you wouldn’t become covered under Medicaid,” she said.”
Don't "succumb to the fear of rules you don't understand"??? Just sign on the line, peasant. Of course, some animals are more equal than others: Per Nancy Metcalf of Consumer Reports:
“But even if your state doesn’t change its mind (about Medicaid clawbacks), there will probably be ways to protect your heirs, according to Morris Klein, a Maryland lawyer who serves on the public policy steering committee of the National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys. Since each state runs estate recovery slightly differently, you should consult an elder law attorney.”
Yes, Consumer Reports says you should sign on ASAP - unless you're rich. Then hire a lawyer, with your pocket change. Asset stripping is just for the little people. Consumer Reports also advises that you eat cake from Whole Foods.
How can you avoid being put on Medicaid, if that turns out to be your considered choice? That is a separate topic; one I am still trying to figure out. One way is to buy insurance. But guess what - if your income is at Medicaid level or lower, you are not eligible for subsidies. You have to pay full fare, on the private market. Perhaps paying the fine would work, perhaps not; I am having trouble determining that. (Hey, wouldn't an organization that helped consumers get info be handy here? You could give it a name like "Consumer Reports," haha.)
You may have noticed that I have not given details about particular states: this is because like I said: every state has its own Medicaid clawback provisions. Here is a good post re how New Jersey works: http://www.correntewire.com/obamacare_clusterfuck_after_55_medicaid_is_a....
Please note: I am not saying that everyone should avoid Medicaid! Maybe it is the best choice for you, or a family member. I am just saying that there is an undisclosed trap here, that you should know of before making the decision.
I am not a financial advisor or an expert on this topic. Do your own research and get legal advice if you can afford it.
Very interesting information and yet another reason not to ever accept anything "free" from the government. My main restraint in this regard is principle and personal responsibility but that is much to rare to depend on from the general populuce.
However, consider this statement in your comment, "A lien on your estate. You have to pay it back."
You have to pay it back but if you create a trust the trust is a separate entity (it isn't you) which continues beyond your grave-much beyond it (i.e. for several generations if structured properly), so aside from the many probate reasons to create a trust this is yet another. Its the ultimate way to keep .gov out of your families hard earned wealth. Trusts, they're not just for the Rockafellers.
They're not just for Rockefellers, but they are not for the working and lower middle classes. My older relatives who are in that category most certainly do not have the money to set up a trust. In fact they have no money; they have a very modest house. That is not unusual. Their kids will not get the hand up via an inheritance (however small) that more savvy/affluent people's kids get.
Jesus Christ!
I say again.....FUCK YOU OBAMA!
Oh..and John Roberts...FUCK YOU TOO!
And don't forget the republicans too, especially the Heritage Foundation. They are the clowns that dreamt and then created the blueprint for the monstrosity known as the Affordable Care Act.
Beetle,
this was the choice of the restaurant and NOT because of Obama and i suspect a publicity stunt.
being in business for 30 i have never ever raised prices due to tax law changes, my prices are based on one thing and one thing only, supply and demand...end of story.
if this place wants to play it's little game by doing this and more than likely getting it's name in the paper the end result will be less customers and less revenue, you'll see. this will not last long.
I hope so Mumbo...but increasingly, I see further intrusion. Whether publicity stunt or not, small businesses are getting pinched......big time.
I would think this restaurant would be liable for false charges if this was a stunt - which means, the owners are idiots.
"Signs on the door and at tables alert diners to the fee, which is also listed separately on the bill"
that totally works for me, i can not wait till i see a sign like that so i can walk in and tell them why i am not going to eat there!!!
How could anything have metastacized more than the 17% of GDP that we have been spending on heathcare?
Wait until the hookers start itemizing their buckets of Vagisil.
Obama looks more and more like Ukraines's Yanukovytch. Imperail, detached, effortless lying.
'BUT NOW, there’s a whole lot of laughing going on.' Mainly, a bunch of shitty traffic motivating locations. Orlando must be the dynamic factor for this franchise. Watch how quickly they remove the healthcare Ponzi charge, or face empty booths. Pass your mouse over the little boy.
Guess who gets the final laugh?
http://www.gatorsdockside.com/
Call me crazy, but if my restaurant tab only has a 1% surcharge that is clearly described, so that people busting their ass can have health insurance, I don't have a problem paying that. I get the choice to either keep frequenting that restaurant or not.
This is completely independent of whether I think SoetoroCare is a disgrace or not (It is.)
Now, assholes that won't work or even attempt to work a basically shitty job like restaurant service, I don't want them to get a dime of my money.
"Now, assholes that won't work or even attempt to work a basically shitty job like restaurant service, I don't want them to get a dime of my money."
Isn't BarryCare designed so those assholes end up getting the money (care)? If that 1% is going to pay for a BarryPolicy, it's going to those assholes you don't want to support.
The real issue here is that this 1-top customer is consuming well over 2,000 calories for lunch. He/she WILL need healthcare sooner than later.
It's also possible to put "Have a Nice Day" on a restaurant bill. Your point is?
Just for the record.
lmao
http://www.customreceipt.com/