For many people that work for minimum wage, the news that Ohio is increasing the minimum wage to $7.95 per hour is good news. The 10-cent increase is not a terrible burden to small business and definitely can be conceive as a small increase which will eventually help the local economies. For the most recent news affecting Ohio small businesses follow the links below to read the articles in their entirety
Small businesses wary of large minimum-wage increase
On Wednesday, Ohio’s minimum wage will be increased by 10 cents per hour to a rate of $7.95 per hour, impacting an estimated 330,000 workers in the state.
Tipped Ohio workers will see a 5-cent increase in their minimum wage, going up to $3.98 per hour. This increase comes as a result of a 2006 vote requiring annual adjustments to the minimum wage to keep pace with the rising cost of living.
Certain groups, such as Policy Matters Ohio, a nonprofit, nonpartisan policy research institute, applaud the change, maintaining that an increased minimum wage will spur consumer spending and economic growth by as much as $38 million.
“Ohio workers and the Ohio economy will both benefit from this raise for our lowest-paid neighbors,” Amy Hanauer, executive director for Policy Matters Ohio, said in a statement. “The employees who benefit will turn around and spend money in our communities, stimulating growth here.”
Internet cafe law now in effect, takes toll on Ohio businesses
Disconnected phone lines and shells of buildings are all that remain of many Ohio sweepstakes businesses three months after a law effectively banning their existence took effect.
The law, which went into place Oct. 4, limited Internet cafe prizes to items valued at less than $10 and gave law enforcement officials the authority to prosecute businesses as illegal gambling operations if they do not comply. A last-ditch effort to delay the law and place the decision before voters fell about 71,000 signatures short of the 231,000 needed to make the ballot.
The only signs of the former Starz Internet Cafe in Heath, for example, are multicolored carpeting and remnants of window clings advertising Internet cards. Large “for lease” signs are visible from the road.
One challenge to counting how many Internet cafes are still operating in Ohio is that it wasn’t clear how many were doing business in the first place. The best estimates placed the number at 620 before the law took effect. Of those, 339 registered with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office earlier this year.
Skimpy Obamacare plans leave some ‘underinsured‘
For working people making modest wages and struggling with high medical bills from chronic disease, President Barack Obama’s health care plan sounds like long-awaited relief. But the promise could go unfulfilled.
It’s true that patients with cancer and difficult conditions such as multiple sclerosis or Crohn’s disease will be able to get insurance and financial help with monthly premiums.
But their annual out-of-pocket costs could still be so high they’ll have trouble staying out of debt.
You couldn’t call them uninsured any longer. You might say they’re “underinsured.”
These gaps “need to be addressed in order to fulfill the intention of the Affordable Care Act,” said Brian Rosen, a senior vice president of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “There are certainly challenges for cancer patients.”
“Cost may still be an issue for those in need of the most care,” said Steven Weiss, spokesman for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. That “makes it critically important for patients looking at premiums to also consider out-of-pocket costs when choosing a plan.”
