| On the one hand, people are exempt from the | | | | insurance to mount a successful objection. |
| individual mandate (that requires them to either buy a | | | | Religious opposition to abortion alone is not enough to |
| health insurance plan or pay a penalty) if they have a | | | | qualify for the conscience exemption. In those cases, |
| religious objection. Such groups include members of | | | | they can use their dollars to purchase and support |
| shared care organizations, which allow Christians to | | | | those plans in the exchange market that do not |
| donate money to other members in need and then | | | | offer abortion coverage. |
| pay medical providers outright--avoiding health | | | | However, churches and other religious employers are |
| insurance entirely. | | | | subject to the corporate mandate that the majority |
| Most notably, the Amish are not subject to the | | | | companies and organizations offer affordable health |
| mandate. For similar reasons, they already have an | | | | insurance. Most of them already offer group |
| exemption from Social Security and Medicaid taxes: | | | | coverage, and those plans will be modified to meet |
| since they choose to live mostly outside of modern | | | | the new minimum coverage requirements and medical |
| society and take care of each other instead of | | | | loss ratios. |
| purchasing any kind of insurance, which is against | | | | The standard coverage requirements do not include |
| their beliefs, they are not penalized. | | | | abortion or other controversial treatments such as |
| There are few loopholes: in order to be considered | | | | stem cell research. Although old health insurance plans |
| legitimate, they have to have been legally registered | | | | and benefit levels will be grandfathered into the |
| prior to the year 2000. This will minimize the chance | | | | healthcare reform legislation, several other benefits |
| of people banding together and claiming that they | | | | will be mandated. For example, in 2014 policies will be |
| reject the idea of health insurance on religious | | | | required to allow employees' children to stay on their |
| conscience grounds, when their real objection is | | | | parents' coverage until the age of 26; at the same |
| towards so-called "Obamacare" specifically. It will be | | | | time, they will be banned from setting lifetime limits |
| difficult for those who drive cars and purchase auto | | | | on coverage. |