Discussion on Supreme Court Rulings

Respond to the Supreme Court Rulings below (50 words for part A, 50 words for part B)
A-Should the Affordable Care Act be implemented as a tax so everyone is assured of coverage if
they become ill or injured? Or is the government "overreaching" to require everyone to pay for a
plan–using tax-supported subsidies–even if they do not want insurance coverage?

B-Should the Affordable Care Act require for-profit corporations to pay for contraceptives for
their employees if the CEO has religious objections? Since this ruling targets women almost
exclusively, is that fair to their female employees? Or should a corporate CEO be allowed to
decide which benefits should be included in a health care plan if contraception (i.e., IUDs and
emergency contraception pills) is not consistent with his/her religious beliefs?
.
Since the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court has issued three (3)
significant rulings related to the Act which has caused considerable debate across the country.
 On June 28, 2012 the Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate requiring Americans to
buy health insurance or pay a penalty. The court ruled 5-4 that the mandate can stay as part of
Congress's power under a taxing clause. The court said that the government will be allowed to
tax people for not having health insurance. "The Affordable Care Act's requirement that certain
individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be
characterized as a tax," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the ruling. "Because the Constitution
permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness." On June
24, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the Act by ruling in favor (6-3) of using nationwide
tax subsidies on federal exchanges to help buy health insurance.
 On June 30, 2014, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that certain for-profit companies cannot be
required to pay for specific types of contraceptives for their employees. The 5-4 decision was a
legal and political setback for a controversial part of President Barack Obama's healthcare reform
law.