WSIL-TV 3 ABC
Top Stories
Last updated 5:08 am CT February 09, 2010.
Health Reform Bill Worries Local Businesses
Miranda's On Main in West Frankfort has only been open a few weeks. A restaurant built in honor of a daughter's dream.
"She loved to cook and be in the kitchen."
Miranda succumbed to leukemia days before her 15th birthday. Now, her mother is cooking and keeping her memory alive...
"Sometimes I'm afraid I'm gonna wake up and it's not gonna be there, cause it's like, huge."
The restaurant employs more than 30 full and part-time workers.
"It's a real privilege to be able to say I've given these people jobs. They can buy Christmas for their kids now."
But, she doesn't provide insurance...
"This kind of business, with the turnover and everything, I really don't think that its feasible."
And, like many small business owners, Sieveking can't get a clear-cut understanding of the Health Care Reform bill. The bill totals nearly 2,000 pages.
"Who understands that? I mean, I don't have time to go to college to understand all of it right now- have to get a layman's version out."
What Sieveking does know, that if the bill in its current form, passes the Senate, she'll have to pay nearly 75% of her employees' insurance premiums or face a penalty...
"If they start doing that, we'll have to cut back and that wouldn't be fair to all these girls you see running around here, somebody's gonna get cut."
And Sieveking, who understands the importance of health as well as anyone, doesn't understand making a compromise such as that...
"Yes, I think that insurance is important, but I think that not having the insurance is a lot less stressful on the people than not having a job at all."
The Senate is expected to debate their own version of the bill. If that passes, a congressional conference committee will merge the two into one version. That would require approval from the House, Senate and President.
By: Rachel Gartner
rgartner@wsiltv.com
Now: 1265714335
