Some N.J. Doctors, Business Owners Not Happy With Supreme Court's Health Care Ruling
PISCATAWAY, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Gov. Chris Christie isn't the only person in New Jersey who is unhappy with Thursday's Supreme Court ruling on health care.
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The decision upholds the "individual mandate" component of President Barack Obama's health care reform law.
Dr. Alieta Eck, M.D. is the President of the American Association of Physicians and Surgeons. She has a practice in Piscataway.
"Doctors are going to be retiring. I'm not sure who's gonna fill in the gaps," said Dr. Eck. "There's just not enough of us to fulfill this infinite demand for medical services."
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Dr. Eck adds that under Obama's plan, many payouts will go down - and many practices will go under.
"We don't have to go back to the way it is now," Dr. Eck said. "It's actually way too expensive for taxpayers the way it is now, but 'Obamacare' will actually be worse."
Similarly, small business owner Jeff Scheininger is concerned with how the health care changes will affect his small business.
He says the cost for small business is huge, and will result in less hiring and fewer raises. Scheininger owns a modest-sized manufacturing company in Linden and is also the Chair of the NJ Chamber of Congress.
"There's less money for business expansion," he said. "Who's gonna pay for this?"
It affects what his current workers will get in terms of compensation and 401k contributions.
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Gov. Christie said he was disappointed in the Supreme Court's ruling. Meanwhile, another New Jersey lawmaker says she is resurrecting a bill to establish a health insurance exchange in the state after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld key parts of President Barack Obama's health insurance overhaul.
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Sen. Nia Gill, a Democrat from Montclair, says the exchange will help New Jersey's 1.3 million uninsured residents get health insurance.
Lawmakers passed the bill previously, but Gov. Chris Christie vetoed it in May. The Republican said at the time that he wanted to wait for the highly anticipated court ruling before spending state money on it.
Christie also said in May that he would move ahead to implement the state's parts of the changes if the law was upheld by the court.
(TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
