The United States Supreme Court has decided to review the Affordable Care Act (ACA), aka “Obamacare” once again. Oral arguments will take place in the spring.
This time, the challenge is on religious grounds.
In separate cases, two private companies, Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp., oppose the ACA’s requirement to provide coverage for contraceptives in health insurance plans for their employees. Both companies object to this requirement on religious grounds.
The Supreme Court’s decision last year to retain the individual mandate requirement in the law last year was a surprise to many, who expected the conservative-leaning bench to require that the law be struck down in part or in whole.
If the public scorn about the ACA does not subside by the spring, the Court very well could invalidate the law as a matter of public policy. That would be a drastic move, however; a more likely scenario is to focus on the very narrow issue of the contraceptives requirement, and perhaps revisit the other aspects at a later date.