Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville has urged U.S. President Barack Obama to give temporary relief and exemption to religious institutions from fines of church members whose insurance plans do not include sterilization and contraceptives.
Archbishop Kurtz, who is also the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, has asked Obama to consider the intention of the U.S. Supreme Court to hear two cases filed regarding the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) mandate. So far, there are 90 cases that have been filed to federal courts objecting to the HHS mandate.
"The result is a regulation that harshly and disproportionately penalizes those seeking to offer life-affirming health coverage in accord with the teachings of their faith," Archbishop Kurtz said. "The Obama administration's flexibility to implement the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has not yet reached those who want only to exercise what has rightly been called our 'First Freedom' under the Constitution."
According to the Archbishop, most of the court decisions have favored those who filed against HHS.
The request of Kurtz came after the Obama administration offered exemptions to people and organizations having difficulty implementing the ACA. Under the offered exemptions, individuals facing penalties for not meeting enrollment deadlines will be given extensions.
Business with 50 or more employees will not be fined if they opt to drop health insurance benefits or not to offer health insurance for their employees for 2014. However, if these businesses don't offer a health insurance plan, they'll face a $2,000 a year for every employee.
"I understand that legal issues in these cases will ultimately be settled by the Supreme Court," Kurtz added. "In the meantime, however, many religious employers have not obtained the temporary relief they need in time to avoid being subjected to the HHS mandate beginning January 1. I urge you, therefore, to consider offering temporary relief from this mandate, as you have for so many other individuals and groups facing other requirements under the ACA."
