US health reform and the Catholic Church

Obama signs healthcare bill

One of the most hotly-debated issues of Barack Obama's presidency has been his attempt to reform America's health care system. The Affordable Care Act has now been signed into law, but not without significant challenges from Catholic organisations. Why has the Church chosen to enter this discussion? Writing in Thinking Faith, Vincent Rougeau, Dean of Boston College Law School, explains why 'Obamacare' has been a source of contention and places the debate in the wider context of American politics at the moment.

Earlier this summer, the US Supreme Court upheld most of President Obama's signature piece of new legislation, the Affordable Care Act, which is designed to give all Americans access to health insurance. Just weeks before the decision, a group of Catholic organisations led by the University of Notre Dame filed a law suit against the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), challenging rules written pursuant to the Act that require employers to provide insurance coverage for various contraceptive and sterilisation procedures. Although certain religious organisations are exempt from this mandate, many would not be, meaning that some religious groups would face paying directly or indirectly for insurance that covers procedures they find morally unacceptable.

To read more of Vincent Rougeau article, see: www.thinkingfaith.org/articles/20120914_1.htm