Company CEO Details How Back Yard Burgers is Contending with ACA on Fox Business Network

Back Yard Burgers CEO Dave McDougall was recently on Fox Business Network’s Varney & Company to discuss the Affordable Care Act’s impact on the company’s franchises. “We’ve been kind of exploring this journey the last couple years and I can tell you we’ve set aside $280,000 dollars for next year for additional premium costs,” McDougall said. “We made the conscious decision that we are going to offer medical benefits to our hundred or so elligible employees and we’re in the process now of beginning the health surveys, etc.

, to really determine how many of these folks are interested in taking advantage of the benefits.” There’s no doubt the Affordable Care Act is a costly piece of legislation for many small and mid-sized businesses. As outlined by the National Center for Policy Analysis, any employer with 50 full-time workers or more must provide health insurance.

Businesses that don’t will be subject to a tax penalty of $2,000 per uninsured employee after the first 30. While McDougall said the legislation affects the company’s profitability and investment in new restaurants, it’s also clear the franchise has positioned itself to contend with the Affordable Care Act as easily as possible.