Is it OK that Muslims & Amish will be excused from ObamaCare mandate?

Do you also object to insisting that employers allow Christian medical providers and pharmacists to opt out of participating in some medical procedures and services due to their religious beliefs.

No particular religion is named in that part of the healthcare bill that addresses the exemption. Much ado about nothing, IMO.

Yes. I do believe that medical providers and pharmacists have their personal rights to opt out of "procedures" that are against their religious beliefs. However, the "customer" would still have other options/providers they could go to if they choose.

With the ObamaCare plan, it appears that some groups will be allowed to opt out, while others will be forced to comply and pay whether they want to or not. They will not have a choice.

Butrflynet, you posted a statement and asked a question yourself, but you did not answer the topic question of thread...
Do you think it is OK that Muslims & Amish will be excused from ObamaCare mandate?

Have we determined that the wording of the bill excludes muslims? If the wording is consistent with the wording for Medicare then it apparently doesn't exclude muslims.

Good afternoon. This Amish thing is getting more interesting the deeper I dig.
Public Opinion is the daily newspaper in Chambersburg, PA. I found an article (undated but recent) about this.
It reported that the Amish pay state and federal income taxes and local sales, real estate and public schools taxes.
They believe that it is the responsibility of their community to care for the needs of their people. They have been granted an immunity from paying anything into Social Security or Medicare in exchange for agreeing to not make any claims for benefits.
They evidently will make the same deal regarding mandatory health insurance coverage.
I am curious what will happen when this all plays out if someone is taken to hospital with a life threatening problem. Will the Amish community share the cost?
According to Public Opinion, there were 51,435 Amish folks in PA and a somewhat larger number in OH.

Just out of curiosity Buffalo; Why did you put quotes around the word "procedures"? It seems a bit odd since procedure is a normal English word that is perfectly appropriate in this context.

((Ironically enough, Muslims believe that the procedures in question are immoral and should be forbidden))

Sales taxes for ag related purchasing is tax exempt to all farmers (me and the AMish). As far as income and state taxes. you are correct and I mispoke about these. Old Order and Grey 50, or Zerbe Amish and the River Bretheren are the most severe. The Old Order do pay local taxes but only those involved with road upkeep and services that only govt can provide in regions that are mostly rural. They do pay school taxes and , like the CAtholics they pay twice because they also pay for their own school systems. They do not pay into any fed Social Security or state entitlement plans that cover (in pa its called PACE for meidcal prescriptions for the elderly ), and their severance from any "entitlement" program is based on a two part test
1. That they are immune from paying is solely based upon religious beliefs that the state shall not be partner in any welfare (1st Timothy)

2 The Fed Govt , in the second test, states that, in order to be fully excused on religious beliefs, the appellees must show that their sect provides an equivalent service to the sick, infirm, elderly, widows and widowers "eltern" and orphans, in a fashion similar and equivalent to SS and Medicare/Medicaid. (Thats where I believe the Muslims do NOT show a similar social network)

This is a very important two part item since both parts are like the "Free expression -and-establishment clauses" of the Constitutions 1st AMendment. The Amiswh view on Government is somewhqt ambiguous. On one hand, they believe that governments were ordained by God, but on the other hand, the government epitomizes worldly culture(they eschew worldly culture). Since governments declare war, and use cap punishment, these are aginst the gentle nature that is defined as "Gelassenheit"(which is one of those great German words that we dont have, and it sort of means "A calmness that is the product of the submission to Gods will" . ) Where the newspaper you quoted has it wrong is NOT that the Amish agree not to make a claim (because they never would anyway), its based on proving that they have this equivalent "safety net"

The world class authorities on the AMish and their life styles and history are John Hostetter and Donald Krqaybill. Both were (or are) directors for the CEnter for Anabaptist and Pietist STudies" associated with Elizabethtown University

Thanks. I will have to go back to that article to see if I caught the gist of it right. If you have the time, please google Public Opinion Chambersburg PA to check on how badly I might have misinterpreted the story.