Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (TMO), Humana Inc (HUM), And Six Incredible Figures That Illustrate the Uncertainty Surrounding Obamacare

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation Health Tracking Polls. Note: No data available for December 2012 or January 2013.

Not to sound like a broken record, but this is yet another confirmation that Americans aren’t really sure what to expect from health-care reform, and would rather choose to stand pat than make any drastic moves. That would certainly explain the nearly one in four respondents who appear indifferent to Obamacare. Like the previous studies, it offers a cloudy forecast to insurers who are counting on state and local governments, as well as individuals, to utilize exchanges and purchase health insurance. If disapproval or indifference toward the bill continues to grow, insurers may struggle to bring in new customers and, worse yet, their public image (and subsequently share price) may suffer.

4%
Finally, a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in March indicated that only 4% of employers surveyed had shifted to more part-time workers in direct response to Obamacare. Of the remaining 96%, 89% said they had no intention of altering their hiring habits in response to Obamacare.

While those figures are optimistic on paper, it still remains to be seen whether it will translate out to a loss of jobs or hours on paper. The potential concern with the Minneapolis Fed’s survey is that large corporations make up the bulk of employee compensation in this country. The New York Times reported in 2011 that corporations of 500 or more employees account for 57% of all employee compensation. If even a few of these companies are part of that 4% that have chosen to hire part-time workers, or the 7% that plan to, then we could have a serious problem on our hands.

Take Regal Entertainment Group (NYSE:RGC), for instance. The nation’s largest movie theater chain cut back thousands of employees’ hours last week in direct response to Obamacare. With fewer employees working past 30 hours, it frees the company from the responsibility of having to provide them with group health-care options — but it also leaves many employees with less take-home pay.

The article 6 Incredible Figures That Illustrate the Uncertainty Surrounding Obamacare originally appeared on Fool.com.

Fool contributor Sean Williams has no material interest in any companies mentioned in this article. You can follow him on CAPS under the screen name TMFUltraLong, track every pick he makes under the screen name TrackUltraLong, and check him out on Twitter, where he goes by the handle @TMFUltraLong.The Motley Fool owns shares of, and recommends, WellPoint.

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