MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) - Dan Jacobs is the chef and owner at two notable restaurants in the Milwaukee area, DanDan in the Third Ward and EsterEv in Bay View.

On Wednesday, Jacobs was in Washington D.C. to testify in front of a senate committee, pushing for Affordable Care Act (ACA) benefits to continue.

“To be able to have that interaction, whether not anyone listens or not, to have that interaction one to one with senators was I think important,” Jacobs said.

Jacobs advocated that the ACA leveled the playing field for small businesses and allowed them to offer employees affordable health care.

“I don’t think we’re going to offer enough to make it competitive and then we’re gonna lose valuable team members to larger corporations or bigger businesses,” Jacobs said. “Those bigger businesses and larger corporations can offer a better health care product at a cheaper rate than we can.”

In 2016, Jacobs was diagnosed with Kennedy’s Disease, a muscular condition similar to ALS, and says without ACA, he wouldn’t have been able to open his restaurants.

“I could be priced out, that condition could be exempted from my health insurance or basically it would be so expensive that I couldn’t afford health insurance and I just couldn’t have it,” Jacobs said.

With the clock ticking on 2025, the deadline for a deal on health care plans is looming over small businesses not only in Milwaukee, but across the entire country.

“I don’t think legislators realize everything is connected,” Jacobs said. “If the affordable care act goes away, I think you’re going to see a lot of small businesses have to make some really tough decisions.”