Texas Restaurant Association to host Healthcare Solutions seminar in The Woodlands

THE WOODLANDS, Texas -- With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act fast approaching, small business owners are looking for a reliable resource for information on how the new law will affect them and their employees.

To help restaurant and small business owners understand the impact of the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate which becomes effective on Jan. 1, 2014, the Texas Restaurant Association (TRA) is sponsoring a series of free seminars to explain the regulations and how they will impact business owners in the future.

"Restaurants are particularly labor intensive businesses,” said Wendy Saari, vice president of marketing with TRA. "Individuals are going to be required to have healthcare coverage and large employers will need to offer it."

That's because the rules for business owners with more than 50 full-time equivalent employees are changing. The classification of a part-time employee is changing and part-time employees’ hours must now be considered when calculating full-time equivalents. For many, what businesses are affected and how remains a confusing situation.

To present the facts and give restaurant and small business owners the opportunity to ask questions, TRA is sponsoring free seminars throughout Texas with a panel of experts to address key areas of concern.

The panel in The Woodlands seminar includes Randy Spicer, vice president of Health & Insurance Services with the National Restaurant Association; Lance Pendley, producer benefits consultant with McGriff, Seibels, Williams; Debbie Toh, CFO with TRA; Al Flores, general counsel with Gringo's Mexican Kitchen and Melissa Rascon, senior tax manager, Oman, Berry & Associates.

"Maintaining adequate and accurate employee records will be even more important because of the requirements of the Affordable Care Act," said Rascon. "There are further accounting complexities for business owners because of the Taxpayers Relief Act – it's important to have a thorough understanding of your legal obligations instead of trying to catch up later."

Discussions will focus on how to make healthcare reform manageable and best practices for implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

"There are a lot of myths and speculation about what the new law will mean to restaurant owners," said Terry McBurney, president elect of the Montgomery County Restaurant Association and Principal of Republic Payment Systems, a sponsor of the event. "The goal is to offer accurate information restaurant and small business owners can use."

Because the restaurant industry has one of the nation's largest labor force, the new regulations will have a significant and far reaching impact. But the seminars are designed for and open to any small business owner concerned about how the new regulations will affect the way they deal with employees.

"Business owners have concerns and need clarity on a very confusing law which will affect many of us in one way or another," said McBurney. "That's what this seminar is all about."

The Healthcare Solutions seminar is from 2-4 p.m. May 30 at the Lone Star College - University Park Conference Center, located at 5000 Research Forest Drive in The Woodlands. For information or to register for the event, visit www.restaurantville.com/healthcare.