1. Legality and Controversy of “Obamacare” Contemporary Political Problem Julie Crouse

2. Tax Penalty  Individual mandate clause: by 2014, everyone who is financially able will have to buy health care (Hicks 2012)  Those who don’t buy health care will be assessed a tax penalty that rises yearly for 3 years (Hicks 2012):  2014: $95 or 1% of income  2015: $325 or 2% of income  2016: $695 or 2.5% of income

3. Contraception  Insurance plans have to pay for preventive health care, including contraceptives starting in August 2012 (Healthcare.gov 2012)  Religious organizations were given an extra year to provide this coverage to their employess (Culp-Ressler 2012)  Every state will offer health care that will pay for abortions, and one type of health care that will not (Bassett 2012)  Many lawsuits have been filed against this section

4. Expansion of Medicaid  Medicaid will expand in 2014 to those that make up to 133% of the poverty level- which equals about $29,000/year for a family of four (Amedeo 2012)  The expansion will cover 7 million additional people under Medicaid (Fox 2012)  States can now “opt out” of the expansion, a ruling made in a Supreme Court decision (Fox 2012)

5. Is it legal?  A lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of the “individual mandate” was upheld in a 5-4 decision by the Supreme Court in June 2012 (Stempel 2012)  Contraception requirements were amended to give religious institutions an extra year for implementation  Opt-out of Medicaid was added  Lawsuits pertaining to contraception have not yet been heard

6. Sources   Amadeo, Kimberly (2010). What is Obamacare? Retrieved from: http://useconomy.about.com/od/healthcarereform/f/What-Is- Obama-Care.htm http://useconomy.about.com/od/healthcarereform/f/What-Is- Obama-Care.htm   Bassett, Laura (Apr 2, 2012). Obamacare ‘Abortion Surcharge’: the Facts Behind the Rumor. Retrieved from: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/obamacare- abortion-surcharge_n_1397564.html http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/04/02/obamacare- abortion-surcharge_n_1397564.html   Culp-Ressler, Tara (Sep 13, 2012). Catholic Opponents to Contraception Mandate: Birth Control is Already ‘Freely Available in the United States’. Retrieved from: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/09/13/841491/catholic- birth-control-freely-available/?mobile=nc http://thinkprogress.org/health/2012/09/13/841491/catholic- birth-control-freely-available/?mobile=nc   Fox, Emily Jane (Jul 24, 2012). 6 Million Will Lose Out on Medicaid Expansion. Retrieved from: http://money.cnn.com/2012/07/23/news/economy/health- reform/   Healthcare.gov (Sep 27, 2012). Preventive Services Covered Under the Affordable Care Act. Retrieved from: http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2010/07/preventiv e-services-list.html http://www.healthcare.gov/news/factsheets/2010/07/preventiv e-services-list.html   Hicks, Josh (Jul 6, 2012). Obamacare Tax Hikes vs. Tax Breaks: Which Is Greater? Retrieved from: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact- checker/post/obamacare-tax-hikes-vs-tax-breaks-which-is- greater/2012/07/06/gJQAx6AyPW_blog.html http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/fact- checker/post/obamacare-tax-hikes-vs-tax-breaks-which-is- greater/2012/07/06/gJQAx6AyPW_blog.html   Stempel, John and James Vicini (Jun 28, 2012). US Top Court Upholds Health Care Law in Obama Triumph. Retrieved from: http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/28/usa-healthcare- court-idUSL2E8HS4WG20120628 http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/28/usa-healthcare- court-idUSL2E8HS4WG20120628