As North Carolina’s fiscal reformers in the legislature, and the governor, work to put in place policies that lead to economic growth, they face the Obamacare mess from the federal government. Here are comments from Dan Danner, president and CEO of NFIB.

To add insult to injury, a hidden tax within the law is coming to light that threatens the very livelihood of thousands of U.S. businesses and millions of American workers. Known as the health insurance tax or HIT, this is a new discriminatory tax on small businesses and their employees that will raise the premiums by as much as $500 per policy per year.

Main Street enterprises are now being faced with the choice of eating the costs, passing it on to their employees, ending coverage altogether or other unexpected decisions impacting their operations and workers.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that the cost of the tax is only going to grow over time – collecting an estimated $145 billion from small businesses in the first ten years alone and making it that much harder for business owners to prepare for the future.

To stay on top of Obamacare developments, follow the analysis of Katherine Restrepo, JLF’s health and human services policy analyst.