Papa John's Backs Down, will Honor Obamacare

Feeling the heat after he said he would cut employees’ hours because he could’t afford the costs of health insurance, Papa John’s CEO and multimillionaire John Schnatter wrote an op-ed in The Huffington Post “suggesting” that his intentions regarding the implementation of The Affordable Health Care Act (Obamacare) for Papa John’s employees was all a misunderstanding. He now plans to provide health care benefits to all of his corporate employees along with all employees working in his company-owned stores.

Wrote Schnatter

Papa John’s, like most businesses, is still researching what the Affordable Care Act means to our operations. Regardless of the conclusion of our analysis, we will honor this law, as we do all laws, and continue to offer 100% of Papa John’s corporate employees and workers in company-owned stores health insurance as we have since the company was founded in 1984.”

Good news if true. For both his employees and his business, considering the ongoing boycott. But I for one will wait to see what happens before and what his franchises do, including Peyton Manning, who owns 21 Papa John’s locations. We'll see if they announce their intention to provide health insurance to 100 percent of the employees in their respective pizza operations before I call this a true victory.

But it is nice to see Schnatter feel the heat and that real Americans, ones who care about their fellow citizens, were able to stand up and make him take notice over his ivy-covered mansion walls.