Well, Obama Care has caused nothing but controversy, and looks to
be set for another date in the Supreme Court yet again. But this is a
good thing. Why you ask? Because for one, it can help us here in
the United States reinforce our rights, and two it can correct flaws in the law
or cause its repeal which will cause it to be replaced. Let us discuss
what is going on.
Religious rights: The case against Hobby Lobby (a
family owned and operated business) went to the Supreme Court because the
family owned business refused to cover certain forms of birth control.
They refused on account that the birth control they were being compelled
to cover for their employees violated their religious rights as Christians.
Key fact is that they provided other forms of birth control that fit with
their values as well. So the Supreme Court ruled in the families favor
saying that a religious exception under the first amendment of the U.S.
Constitution prevented the government from forcing businesses from providing
certain forms of birth control. As such, Hobby Lobby which already pays
for the health care of their employees was no longer required to abide by the
contraceptive mandate issued under the law. Note, the Obama Care law
actually says nothing about birth control, rather the department of Health and
Human services issued it as a mandate under the law as part of the stack of
legal regulations.
So this is a victory for those who have
faith, in that they do not have to violate their values to provide a certain
set of services. This one case opens up court precedent to allow a number
of lawsuits and other legal actions based on religious grounds for businesses
and possibly individuals to get a religious exception (businesses are
classified as individuals under a Supreme Court ruling). So who knows
what other mandates and laws can be turned over next.
The next court cases: Now there is another issue arising
from this terrible law. Two courts just issued conflicting rulings on
subsidies (the money coming from the federal government to pay a portion of an
individual's premium). These two courts were just miles away from each
other in Virginia where one ruled the subsidies were legal as the program was
to be administered at the federal level, while the other ruled them illegal as
the program (like Medicaid) was to be administered at the State level. So
now it is a conflict to see if the States or the Federal government have the
right and authority over who gets subsidies and who does not.
Now for those who do not know, this is
big. Basically, once this goes to the Supreme Court, it will decide if
the Federal government or the States have the final say on who gets what in
Obama Care. If the Fed's get it, then they can continue as they already
have, but if the States get it, then they have the right to bump people off the
program if they deem these people can afford to buy their own health care.
It can also allow States to opt out of the program completely if ruled in
the States favor, which will essentially kill Obama care (because many
Republican controlled States may opt out which will cause Obama care to lose
significant tax dollars toward the program). In addition, this will
determine if the Federal exchanges are legal because those are based on the subsidies
given out by the Federal government. If the States gets the authority,
then those Federal exchanges are as good as dead, or are to be turned over to
States to have complete control over. What happens next and when this
issue reaches the Supreme Court, only time will tell.
Conclusion: It turns out that Obama Care has turned
out some good things for America. In this case, the people with their
religious values scored a major victory, and soon the States may gain some of
their rights back from the Federal government. Of course we still do not
know the outcome of this next legal battle over subsidies, or how far the
religious exception goes, but this bodes well for America in so far as freedom
is being upheld and maintained.
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