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The Bishops and the Affordable Care Act
At Mass this past weekend, most Roman Catholics in the United States heard sermons or were read letters from their Bishops railing against a recent decision by the Department of Health and Human Services concerning implementation of health care reform. My own Bishop, Thomas John Paprocki of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois, said in his letter that President Obama was “being either dishonest or delusional or he is incompetent.” He also referred to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius as a “pro-abortion Catholic.” This rhetoric was apparently typical, as Bishops across the nation characterized the HHS decision as nothing less than an attack on religious liberty.
It being the (sad) case that a dedication to the facts has been lacking in some similar communications from the Church hierarchy in the past, I felt it necessary to investigate the matter myself. It has been difficult to parse, but here is what I’ve learned.
The controversy centers on which preventive services for women will be mandated for insurance plans under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act which was passed into law by Congress in 2010. The law gave HHS broad discretion to determine which services would receive required coverage.
In the Summer of 2011, HHS announced rules requiring all new private health plans to cover preventive services such as mammograms, colonoscopies, blood pressure checks, and childhood immunizations without charging a copayment, deductible or coinsurance. In the Interim Rule announced by HHS in August of 2011, “FDA-approved contraception methods and contraceptive counseling” was added to the list of required preventive services. “Religious institutions” were given an exemption from the requirement.
“The administration also released an amendment to the prevention regulation that allows religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services. This regulation is modeled on the most common accommodation for churches available in the majority of the 28 states that already require insurance companies to cover contraception.”
– HHS Press Release, August 1st, 2011
So churches would be exempt from the provision, and could legally exclude such services from their employee health plans.
The problem, as I understand it, is that the exemption does not apply to organizations such as hospitals, schools, universities and charitable groups that are affiliated with churches, but only to the churches themselves. The Bishops and other religious groups were in conversation with the Obama Administration during the period of comment for the rules, advocating for a broader exemption. On January 20th, Secretary Sebelius announced that the final rule will allow the affiliated institutions an additional year (until August 1st, 2013) to comply with the law, but will not exempt them from the provision.
Whether this constitutes an attack on religious liberty (or violates First Amendment protections) I do not know. I’m still trying to understand the implications more clearly, and would welcome pointers to more information, commentary and discussions. Clearly at issue is the tension between the rights of faith-based institutions to practice and defend their beliefs, and the rights of individuals and our society to be free from imposition of those beliefs.
I’ll be posting more here as I give the matter additional study and prayerful consideration.
A Few Links
E.J. Dionne’s Analysis (RealClearPolitics, 24 November 2011)
Mass Incarceration in America
Mass Incarceration and Criminal Justice in America. [The New Yorker] – Mass incarceration on a scale almost unexampled in human history is a fundamental fact of our country today – perhaps the fundamental fact, as slavery was the fundamental fact of 1850.
Obama’s Catholic Problem
Obama’s Catholic Friends and Enemies. [RealClearPolitics] – Any time the Obama administration touches issues related to the Roman Catholic Church, it seems to get itself caught in a rhetorical and moral crossfire that leaves all involved wounded and angry. This is what’s happening in the battle over how contraception should be covered under the new health care law.
Sunday Morning Quote | FDR
It is an unfortunate human failing that a full pocketbook often groans more loudly than an empty stomach.
– FDR
Follow The Money 2012
Here are the top donors of the 2012 election cycle thus far to Barack Obama, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich. Click on any of the lists for more information.
| Obama | Romney | Gingrich |
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In case you’re interested, here are links to information for Ron Paul and for Rick Santorum.
The World According To Monsanto
Here’s your movie (and book) of the week.
The World According To Monsanto is a 2008 documentary film made by investigative journalist Marie-Monique Robin. She spent three years looking into the history and the current activities of this multi-national agricultural giant.
She has also written an accompanying book of the same title, which won the Rachel Carson Prize. The story she tells is not pretty.
Robin reports that, following its long history of manufacturing hazardous chemicals and lethal herbicides, Monsanto is now marketing itself as a “life sciences” company, seemingly convinced about the virtues of sustainable development. However, Monsanto now controls the majority of the yield of the world’s genetically modified corn and soy–ingredients found in more than 95 percent of American households–and its alarming legal and political tactics to maintain this monopoly are the subject of worldwide concern.
I tend toward equanimity, but this shocking exposé has caused me great alarm. Monsanto has a well-documented past of rigging safety studies to cover up harm (both real and potential). They hold great sway over our government. They are systematically and intentionally destroying bio-diversity on our planet, along with the way of life and livelihood of millions.
I urge you to read this book, or to watch the film, or both – and please help spread the word. It may already be too late to mitigate some of the effects of this treachery, but we must do what we can. Look for more information here in the coming days on how to fight back.
Links and Video Embed
Monsanto, Dupont & Obama
The Unholy Alliance: Monsanto, Dupont & Obama. [Ronnie Cummins | The Huffington Post] – On the campaign trail, President Obama affirms that agribusiness cannot be trusted with the policy and regulatory powers of government, but in office, he’s let Monsanto, Dupont and the other pesticide and genetic engineering companies know they’ll have plenty of friends and supporters within his administration.
Why Chris Hedges is Suing Barack Obama
Somehow I missed this article last week. God bless Chris, and his efforts.
Chris Hedges: Why I’m Suing Barack Obama. [Truthdig] – I spent many years in countries where the military had the power to arrest and detain citizens without charge. I have been in some of these jails. I have friends and colleagues who have “disappeared” into military gulags. I know the consequences of granting sweeping and unrestricted policing power to the armed forces of any nation. And while my battle may be quixotic, it is one that has to be fought if we are to have any hope of pulling this country back from corporate fascism.
Ron Paul Unmasked
Billy Wharton peels back the layers to reveal the essence of Ron Paul: an ideology that would only make the problem worse.
The Misadventure of Ron Paul. [Socialist WebZine] – Forget the Fed. Leave aside all the slogans about “living within our means” and “punishing generations with debt” for a moment. Ron Paul is the most pro-corporate politician in the Presidential race.