Response to the Affordable Care Act. Business & Marketing Term Paper

Response to the Affordable Care Act
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Institutional Affiliation
Response to the Affordable Care Act
Introduction
The US government passed the Affordable Care Act in 2010, popularly known as Obama Care. The Act requires businesses to provide health insurance coverage to all their employees, which includes sterilization, contraceptives, as well as other preventative services for women (Pierson, 2015). Additionally, the Act also obliges all employers to cover health insurance, which includes abortion medication, yet some believe it is morally wrong. These business owners claim that it violates the constitution’s guarantee for the free exercise of religion. Much as they have a point, their claim is exaggerated, and it is not entirely true. Simply because health care includes abortion medication does not strip the employer of their right to practice religion. Although it may somehow violate an individual’s freedom for religion, the employees use their salaries for things that may violate the religion of the employer, but that does not mean the business owner is denied his spiritual beliefs.
Why the Affordable Care Act May Not Violate Freedom to Exercise Religion
Specific employers have been trying to fight the issue of abortion and contraceptive coverage in the affordable care act for a while. They try to use the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) to emphasize their point. RFRA prevents the United States government from substantially burdening an individual’s exercise of religion, except when they back it up with a convincing reason (Williams, 2017). Obviously, these employers seem to be misinterpreting the meaning of a substantial burden. The freedom to religion can only be substantially burdened if the authorities a particular employer or any other person to take part in precise activities that violate their faith.
Well, that is not what the affordable care act requires of them. More so, it does not force anyone to carry out an abortion or use contraceptives. Neither does it make the employers buy abortion pills for the workers in person. The law requires the business owners, is to cover the health insurance for all their employees. Besides, consider a scenario where a Muslim boss gives his Christian employee a vacation during which the worker goes to a bar, and he drinks alcohol or eats pork. Does that mean that the Muslim boss violated his religion simply because he is the one who gave the employee a vacation? Absolutely not. It is up to the employee to figure out what he does while on vacation.
Similarly, the same concept happens in this case. The employers are required to pay for health insurance. They do not have to be concerned or responsible for what happens next. Besides, even if it somehow violates religious freedom, it is essential to note that not every breach on a specific religious denomination can be considered a substantial burden, and most definitely, health insurance is not. Like earlier stated, no one is forcing them to take or purchase the abortion medication. Furthermore, these employers claim that some types of contraceptives can cause abortion, but they lack scientific evidence (Belluck, 2018). On the other hand, when employers don’t cover the abortion me...