Saturday, September 19, 2015

Proposed Legislation Would Exempt Christian Scientists From ACA Individual Mandate

On Thursday, the House Ways and Means Committee voted (legislative history)  to forward on to the full House of Representatives H.R. 2061, the Equitable Access to Care and Health ("EACH") Act (full text). The proposed bill would extend the current religious conscience exemption in the Affordable Care Act that applies to Amish and Old Order Mennonites to also include Christian Scientists. (Background). The bipartisan bill currently has 170 co-sponsors in the House.  An identical Senate Bill (S. 352) has 30 co-sponsors.  The bill is still in committee in the Senate.