Amish and Other Religious Groups Exempt from Health Insurance Provisions in Both House and Senate Bills

As healthcare reform moves on, will religion become an issue? There are a few groups in Massachusetts that are exempt. This is one more reason why penalties won’t work. We also have provisions for the IRS to potentially police the health insurance area through tax returns.

As the article states the exemptions call on some very specific language and groups have to be non-profit as well. The Amish and Mennonite groups are small by comparison to the population of the entire country but it will be interesting to see now with the way the economy is, to see if these exceptions fly without voices from others wanting the same, you know, kind of like what Nebraska received. As our Governor said in California, they got the corn and we got the husk.

Opting Out – Mennonites and Amish Face rising hospital bills

Now they have genetics research going on within the communities to help save their children who have high rates of some rare genetic diseases. It is far fetched to even think the communities would travel abroad for help. Dr. Morton has moved in to the community to help.

THEY HAVE GENE SEQUENCING MACHINES – so the citizens are contributing to research and development with the study of some genetic diseases and family history items that seem to occur only in their communities. BD

Right now with the focus on transparency, it’s not easy to roll anything under the carpet and hope it won’t be noticed anymore. Technology and data methodologies of communication make certain that doesn’t happen any more as well as uncovering more of this that has already occurred in the past. BD

Since the 1930’s, the Amish have been exempt from paying Social Security taxes. The Watertown Daily Times, which is from a region of northern New York that many Amish families call home, notes that under Congress’s health care bills, the Amish would also get an exemption from the mandate to have “acceptable” health insurance or pay a tax penalty if you don’t.

Federal health care reform will require most Northern New Yorkers — but not all, it turns out — to carry health insurance or risk a fine.
Hundreds of Amish families in the region are likely to be free from that requirement.
The Amish, as well as some other religious sects, are covered by a “religious conscience” exemption, which allows people with religious objections to insurance to opt out of the mandate. It is in both the House and Senate versions of the bill, making its appearance in the final version routine unless there are last-minute objections.

The language is very limiting. Christian Scientists, for example, would not be eligible for the exemption because they are not conscientiously opposed to having health insurance. “Some [Christian Scientists] have health insurance, and most probably have life insurance,” says the FAQ page of the official CS church website. “Every Christian Scientist makes his or her own financial and health decisions.” It’s limited essentially to the Amish and Old Order Mennonites

Amish and Other Religious Groups Exempted from the Individual Mandate - Blog - OpenCongress