Single-Payer Healthcare v. Hobby Lobby Ruling

Religious Freedom,

Earlier this week we wrote about the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark “Hobby Lobby” ruling on religious liberty–both the ruling itself and some common myths about the ruling. One more myth worth addressing has come up a few times since then: The myth that a single-payer healthcare system somehow would have averted the Hobby Lobby ruling.

The logic seems to be that under a single-payer system the government would pay for every person’s healthcare; as part of that system, the government would pay for all forms of contraception–including abortion-inducing drugs, sterilizations, and other practices many find unconscionable. Theoretically, under such a system Hobby Lobby never would have sued, because Hobby Lobby would not have been paying for anyone’s health insurance–the government would have paid for it.

The problematic question is this: Under a single-payer system, who ultimately pays for everyone’s healthcare? Answer: Taxpayers.

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Busting a Few Myths About the Hobby Lobby Ruling

Religious Freedom, ,

As a result of yesterday’s landmark Supreme Court ruling involving Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood, a lot of incorrect information has emerged across the Internet. We want to take a moment to bust a few common myths we see recurring about the ruling and its implications.

  1. Myth #1: The ruling struck down the HHS contraceptive mandate. Believe it or not, the HHS mandate still stands; it just doesn’t apply to certain family-owned businesses. Yesterday’s ruling found that family-owned businesses whose owners have well-established, deeply-held religious convictions guiding their practices cannot be forced to pay for contraceptives, abortifacients, sterilizations, or other services they find objectionable. Other for-profit companies still have to abide by it.
  2. Myth #2: The ruling means Hobby Lobby and other companies won’t offer health insurance to their employees. Yesterday’s ruling has nothing to do with the availability of health insurance. According to our research, Hobby Lobby offered health insurance to its employees before Obamacare went into effect. Hobby Lobby plans to continue offering health insurance to its employees today. The issue has never been whether or not Hobby Lobby would offer insurance to employees; the issue has always been whether or not the federal government can require those insurance plans include procedures and services Hobby Lobby’s owners find morally objectionable.

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Bishop Taylor on Living According to the Dictates of Conscience

Religious Freedom, ,

In light of yesterday’s landmark Supreme Court ruling in the Hobby Lobby case, here is a video from a couple of years ago of Bishop Anthony Taylor of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock discussing religious liberty and the Department of Health and Human Services’ contraceptive mandate.

“The issue is whether the government should force us to pay for these immoral practices and thereby make us participants in actions that violate our religious beliefs.”

-Bishop Taylor

Watch the video below.

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