Posted on 03/16/2012 8:35:09 PM PDT by STARWISE
The administration this afternoon released its “Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on preventive services policy.”
Translation: President Barack Obama and HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius are moving forward with their controversial contraception mandate, which requires even religiously affiliated employers to provide their employees with insurance that covers contraception — even if those employers object to contraception on religious grounds.
But don’t worry: Secretary Sebelius says your religious liberty is assured, so it is assured.
“The President’s policy respects religious liberty and makes free preventive services available to women,” she said. ”Today’s announcement is the next step toward fulfilling that commitment.”
Never mind that, by drawing a distinction between actual churches and church-operated businesses like hospitals and schools, the administration effectively appropriated for itself the power to determine what constitutes ministry. Also, last I checked, there was no such thing as “free preventive services.”
Sandra Fluke should be happy, though. The administration made a final decision about whether it will require colleges to provide students with insurance that covers contraception, as well. Take one wild guess as to what their decision was. Yep, that’s right:
*** Administration officials also released a final rule governing student health plans. Under the final rule, students will gain the same consumer protections other people with individual market insurance have, like a prohibition on lifetime limits and coverage of preventive services without cost sharing.
In the same way that religious colleges and universities will not have to pay, arrange or refer for contraceptive coverage for their employees, they will not have to do so for their students who will get such coverage directly and separately from their insurer. ***
Note that the administration still pretends the mandate isn’t a mandate on religious employers if the insurers have to provide contraception coverage “directly and separately” to employees and students.
Actually, it’s still a conscience-violating mandate, as Ed explained when the administration first announced its “accommodation”:
*** So these employers will still have to provide the health insurance, and the health insurance must cover the contraception and abortifacients. The White House apparently wants to pretend that the funds for these outlays will come off of the Unobtanium Tree, where insurers find money to cover all mandates.
This exposes once again a stunning ignorance of risk pools and how costs are passed along to consumers.
Let’s just take this one step at a time. Where do insurers get money to pay claims? They collect premiums and co-pays from the insured group or risk pool.
No matter what the Obama administration wants to say now, the money that will cover those contraception costs will come from the religious organizations that must now by law buy that insurance and pay those premiums.
Their religious doctrines have long-standing prohibitions against participating in contraception and abortion, and nothing in this “accommodation” changes the fact that the government is now forcing them to both fund and facilitate access to products and services that offend their practice of religion.
Basically, the Obama administration told religious organizations to stop complaining and get in line. This “accommodation” only attempts to accommodate Obama’s political standing and nothing more. ***
Consider also that many religious employers are self-insured and have no insurer onto whom they can push the cost of contraception insurance.
The timing of this announcement just couldn’t have been better. As The Washington Examiner’s Joel Gehrke put it, “The announcement came late Friday afternoon, on the eve of St. Patrick’s Day, as the second day of March Madness basketball games were under way.” People skip work to watch March Madness.
Think they’re going to turn off the TV to dig up a dry statement from Her Consistency Kathleen Sebelius? Not likely.
Trade wars are overdue.
We are unilaterally surrendering history’s largest manufacturing base.
There will be no stopping it, until we stop it, or we simply collapse.
There is no middle ground. None. America first.
Something will always be manufactured in the USA. Purchasing offshore can’t be kept up ad infinitum or money and credit runs out. I do not know what reflects the sillier judgment, the size of the IOU that the US has written to China or the size of the IOU that China has accepted from the US. (Which are the same thing, but viewed in two different contexts.) The US cannot make good and neither can China redeem it, so....
Newt.... pick up the white courtesy phone. Use this photo in your advertisements, got that? Doesn’t this say it all?
I pride myself on knowing who these folks are - aside from the obvious Romney and wife, the other couple is also drooling on Reid. The fellow on the right is the only skeptical one with 1/2 a brain.
Can someone please name the front couple and the gentleman on the right? Thanks in advance.
--------------------------
OBAMA OR AMERICA, YOU CAN'T HAVE BOTH!!!!
PASS IT ON.
You can’t be sure about that so nominate Mutt and find out.
You don’t know the cold-blooded will and evil
inherent in these cretins if you think he
doesn’t want to inflict severe damage on
religious institutions in this country and
specifically pro-life conservatives.
If my candidate doesn’t win the nomination I’m going to kick my feet, cry like a baby, and stay home.
My fear for months and months.
Pray there is an election.
All of America needs to tell this dictator wannabe to kiss off. We will not comply.
I’m not disagreeing with you.
I think we’re talking about apples and oranges.
I’m referring to finding common ground with Romney if he wins.
I’m saying now is way, way too early to even talk about any sort of compromise with Romney, until everything has been tried to defeat him.
However at the end of the day, let there be no confusion about who the real adversary is.
Not a single, tiny bit.
There will be no excuse, whatsoever, for not voting for the GOP nominee when the time comes.
How can a “President,” on his own, make such a mandate, in the first place? By what authority?
That is my point. I can hear the outcry now. And the finger would be pointed directly where it belongs. I know they would be without insurance until Obamacare takes effect. But as a Catholic employer my hands would be tied. I’d have to make a choice. Employers are not required by law to provide health insurance.
Yeah, let’s make a group call to our so-called
leadership in the House and Senate ??
I don’t know how they sleep ... or look in the
mirror.
There is no current requirement for employers to provide insurance, as far as I know.
Why do employers provide insurance now?
How will that change, by simply paying a government fine?
Employees still will not be covered. What would happen now to an employer who doesn’t cover their employees?
Their employees would find a better place to work.
What’s the point for an employer to pay the fine, and drop coverage?
They’ll lose their employees.
This is a brave, new movie about an abortion survivor and her search. Beautifully done, heartfelt truth. See all the trailers beneath the main screen .. it opens on March 23.
October Baby
http://www.octoberbabymovie.net/
Student health plans? I thought that students were going to freeload on their parents’ health care plans until age 26.
Agreed, although Romney does have some good points, he is not my choice but whatever happens, we have to get behind whomever wins the GOP nod. I hate to say it but if we get another 4 years of Obama, we are finished as a country, at least of we do this, we do have a chance.
All of America needs to tell this dictator wannabe to kiss off. We will not comply.
Let’s hope so.
OBAMA OR AMERICA, YOU CAN’T HAVE BOTH!!!!
Very good!
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