Should Christians Get Obama Care?

Should Christians opt in for Obama care?  How can we know that this is the will of God?  Why should believers get Obama care or why should they not?  Is this something you should get now?

What is Obama Care?

The new national insurance program for the United States is not really called “Obama Care” but is called the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  It’s called Obama Care only because the president initiated this health care program to cover those who can’t afford health insurance.   If you don’t have health insurance, your time is running out because by March 31^st, 2014, you’ll either need to have your own health insurance or you’ll pay a tax for being uninsured.   Supposedly, if your average annual income is about $30,000 a year, which I mean is your adjusted gross income or your gross income minus your deductions, then you’ll have to pay about $300 a month for health care from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act program.

Should Christians Get Obama Care?

I believe that for those who have no health insurance, they should opt in for this national insurance program because if you have a major health issue like cancer, it could bankrupt you and your family.  It’s like walking a tightrope without a net without insurance.  If you have private health insurance, then you have that net of protection but if you don’t, you are taking a risk just by stepping into the bathroom (which statistically is the place where most home accidents occur).  There is nothing wrong or immoral about getting signed up with and receiving benefits from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. That’s what it’s there for.  If you have already health insurance, I would still compare it with Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act because it could save you money and/or provide you with better protection.

Get Ready to Sign Up

You can sign up for it now but coverage doesn’t officially begin until January, 2014 with open enrollment available until March 31^st, 2014.  It doesn’t matter whether you like it or not…it’s the law and this law is designed to cover the estimated 57 million or so Americans who have no health care insurance due to their inability to afford it. That’s what the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was created for in the first place.  Check with your employer because you may already be signed up and not even know it.  If you are, then you don’t need to sign up for it.  Check with your companies HR department or the management to make certain whether you are or are not signed up.   Either way, you need to know.  Although it is not crystal clear how a religious, non-profit organization can opt out of this, some may be able to due to their religious beliefs which may make them exempt from certain taxes as part of their religious belief.  That way, their rejection of all insurance won’t be penalized.  Note that it says that they may not be penalized by their rejecting all insurance coverage but the interpretation of that and how it will be enforced is still a little unclear from what I could find out.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is a good idea if you have no health insurance right now, and/or if you can’t afford health insurance, and/or if your income level below $30,000 a year, and/or if you have a preexisting medical condition that makes it too expensive or impossible to get health care insurance from a private health insurance company.  A good rule is that if your present health insurance costs more than 10% of your gross income, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act may be a better deal, depending on what type of coverage you have with a private insurer.  You will have to compare your present health insurance plan with what you will pay per month under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to make that determination.

Conclusion

If you have not signed up for what I call eternal life assurance, it is not just fire insurance from the lake of fire as much as it is a plan to have no more health care problems at all, for in heaven God “will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away” (Rev 21:4).  But it gets better because the children of God “will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads.  And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever” (Rev 22:4-5).

Jack Wellman is Senior Writer at What Christians Want to Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Blind Chance or Intelligent Design