Representatives Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) and Diane Black (R-Tenn.) introduced legislation Tuesday that would limit the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) requirement that employers provide coverage for contraception, sterilization and some abortifacient drugs. The bill would prevent the government from penalizing religious employers who choose not to follow the mandate due to the teachings of their faith.

Citing a report by the Congressional Research Service, Sensenbrenner noted that religious employers who refuse to comply with the mandate could be required to pay $100 per day, per employee, which would add up to millions of dollars annually for some employers.

"If these taxes are levied and they are enforced, there will be no religious affiliated institutions left in this country," Sensenbrenner said. more >>

A Planned Parenthood affiliate in Iowa has allegedly filed nearly one-half million false claims with Medicaid from which the pro-abortion organization received and retained nearly $28 million, say lawyers for a faith-based legal ministry.

Planned Parenthood submitted "repeated false, fraudulent, and/or ineligible claims for reimbursements" to Medicaid and failed to meet acceptable standards of medical practice, according to a lawsuit made public Monday. The organization could be ordered to pay the United States and Iowa as much as $5.5 billion in False Claims Act damages and penalties, according to Alliance Defending Freedom (formerly Alliance Defense Fund).

ADF is representing former Planned Parenthood clinic director Sue Thayer in her lawsuit against the abortion giant's Iowa affiliate filed March 2011. more >>

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is asking his state to reject more than $76 billion in federal funds by not expanding its Medicaid program in order to comply with the Affordable Care Act, better known as "Obamacare."

Perry, who on a number of occasions has balked at federal intervention, says complying with Obamacare could bankrupt the state and that the programs are "brazen intrusions to the sovereignty of our state."

He also maintains the PPACA would not result in better care or protection to Texas citizens. more >>

As the dust begins to settle on the Supreme Court's recent decision to uphold ObamaCare, no one is questioning the motives of eight out of the nine justices. They all seemed to vote in a way that is consistent with their ideology. Not one of them is suspected to have voted with an eye on "how it would play" in the media or with those who complain that partisanship has ruled the court in recent years. Only the Chief Justice has had his motives called into question.

All of us hope to make our major decisions in life based upon our ideology and our core values. That becomes challenging, however, for anyone who is tempted to value the reputation of his institution above his own personal beliefs. Enter Penn State and the email evidence showing who knew what, and when, concerning Jerry Sandusky's predatory behavior. Enter the Roman Catholic Church or any religious organization where leaders have sought to protect the institutional image more than vulnerable children. Enter the Supreme Court, if Justice Roberts was truly more concerned about the court's image than his own conservative principles when he voted to uphold ObamaCare. Say it isn't so.

John Roberts is known to pay close attention to media coverage. He seems more sensitive than the other justices to how the Court is perceived by the public. Did those concerns lead him to change his mind on ObamaCare? In the end, did image play a bigger role in his personal decision than his conservative convictions? more >>

With the celebration of Independence Day in the U.S. and less than one week after the Supreme Court's decision to uphold Obamacare, The Christian Post asked Christians in the context of current events, "What does freedom mean to you this 4th of July?"

The decision by the high court last Thursday caused many conservative and Christian leaders to question the future of individual and religious liberty.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins warned last week, "Today's Supreme Court decision will do serious harm to American families. Not only is the individual mandate a profound attack on our liberties, but it is only one section among hundreds of provisions in the law that will force taxpayers to fund abortions, violate their conscience rights, and impose a massive tax and debt burden on American families." more >>

The U.S. Supreme Court's recent ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as "Obamacare," could add significantly to the national debt, economist Charles Blahous argues.

The court ruled unconstitutional the ACA's provision that would have allowed the federal government to remove all existing Medicaid from states that opt out of the law's expansion of Medicaid eligibility. As a result, Blahous said, the court has changed the law in a way that considerably worsens its impact on the federal budget and will likely lead to cuts, later in this decade, in subsidies for low-income individuals to purchase health insurance, as they are required to do under the law.

Florida Governor Rick Scott has already said his state, which led the lawsuits against the law's Medicaid penalty for opting out, will not participate in the Medicaid expansion. Another six states are considering doing the same -- Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas and Wisconsin. more >>