Supreme Court Upholds “Obamacare” Individual Mandate

Thursday the Supreme Court upheld the Obama Administration’s individual insurance mandate. Mitt Romney has pledged to appeal the law immediately if elected.

How will the mandate affect you? If an individual chooses not to keep health insurance, that person would be responsible for paying the IRS one percent of his or her income. There will be exceptions made for religious and financial reasons. It will be unlawful to not buy health insurance and to not pay the IRS the additional money.

Most of  “Obamacare” will go into effect in 2014. This includes insurers no longer having the ability to refuse coverage for pre-existing conditions or the ability to charge people higher premiums due to gender or health. Insurance companies will also have to provide free preventative care. Large employers not offering health insurance to their employees will face a fine and states will need to set up health insurance exchanges.

Some aspects of the plan have already been enacted; children can stay on their parents insurance policy until the age of 26 for example.

We want to know what you think. Our fans have been weighing in on Facebook. One parent of a disabled child commented that she supports the decision. An opponent thinks, “It’s the largest tax increase in US history,” while still another fan writes that health insurance for all is inherently good, but we need to streamline the system.

In line with the debate over healthcare, coming next week, GreatNonprofits will be launching our annual Health Awards. We’ll be awarding a Top-Rated status to highly reviewed organizations, so get ready to help out your favorite charity promoting health or fighting disease by writing a review about your experience. Watch the GreatNonprofits homepage early next week for details on how to get your nonprofit involved!