Game on: Michelle Obama vows to fight GOP effort to roll back her school lunch mandates…

First lady vows to ‘fight’ healthy school-lunch rollback – Washington Post

Sounding a new aggressive tone, first lady Michelle Obama vowed in a private conference call on Monday to fight industry efforts at rolling back healthy school-lunch standards, an issue that could come up for a vote on Capitol Hill later this week.

The remarks to health activists were made in an off-the-record conference call at the beginning of a week of intense lobbying around proposed changes in the national school-lunch program, which sets standards for fat, sugar and sodium levels in food.

“I was thrilled that the first lady pulled advocates together this morning and sounded such a strong rallying cry to fight back against efforts to weaken the school food standards,” said Margo Wootan, who lobbies on Capitol Hill and elsewhere on behalf of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

A House Appropriations bill to be considered in committee later this week would allow schools to apply for waivers if they have a net financial loss on school food programs for six months in a row.

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Poll: 53% oppose #Obamacare birth control/abortion mandate...

The Obamacare birth control/abortion mandate was an attempt by democrats t pander for the female vote.

Via Weekly Standard:

A new poll released Thursday shows that Americans oppose Obamacare’s HHS mandate–the rule requiring “free” coverage of contraception, sterilizations, and the “week-after” pill that may kill human embryos–by a 10-point margin. Polling on this issue has varied widely, depending on how pollsters frame the question. There doesn’t seem to be a trace of bias in the way WPA Research phrased the question in its poll, which was conducted on behalf of the conservative Family Research Council:

Question: As you may know, the President’s healthcare law contains the HHS mandate which requires that all private healthcare plans, including both employer based health plans and individual market health plans, cover preventative care services for women, which includes all FDA approved contraceptives, including drugs that can destroy a human embryo, and sterilization services without a direct cost to the patient. Employers that offer their employees’ healthcare plans that do not includes these drugs and services will be fined up to $100 per day per employee. Do you support or oppose this law?

Total Support 43%
Undecided 4%
Total Oppose 53%

Catholic organizations win one against Obamacare contraception mandate...

 Outstanding...

Via NY Post:

In a blow to President Obama’s signature legislative mandate, a Brooklyn federal judge on Monday sided with several Catholic organizations in New York, saying they do not have to comply with an Affordable Care Act requirement to provide employees with contraceptive coverage.
Citing religious freedom grounds, the organizations filed the lawsuit last year seeking protection from the Obamacare directive.
In the first permanent ruling on the hot-button issue, US District Court Judge Brian Cogan said the religious groups should not be forced to comply with the birth control component of Obamacare.
The plaintiffs benefitting from the permanent injunction are Cardinal Spellman High School in the Bronx, Monsignor Farrell High School on Staten Island, the ArchCare healthcare group and Catholic Health Services of Long Island.
The Archdioceses of Rockville Centre and New York, which are also plaintiffs to the suit, are already exempt from the contraceptive care requirement as religious institutions. The law takes effect Jan. 1
Keep on reading…

Boehner finds a pair?

House Republicans to put one year Obamacare individual mandate delay in next funding bill...

Via Politico:

House Republicans will vote to pass a one-year delay of Obamacare in exchange for funding the government, a plan that drastically increases the chances of a government shutdown this Tuesday.

The decision was announced by the GOP leadership in a closed meeting Saturday afternoon,
according to sources present. Republicans will also pass a bill to fund U.S. troops if the government shuts down, according to GOP lawmakers. The House’s funding measure will keep the government open until mid December.

This puts Senate Democrats and the White House at loggerheads with House Republicans, a standoff that could lead to the first government shutdown since 1995.

Read more here...

Retreat: Obama delays Obamacare employer mandate until after 2014 mid-term elections...

Obama and democrats are trying to avoid a 2014 train wreck...

Via TWS:

Obamacare's employer mandate, which would require businesses with 50 or more employees to provide employees with government-approved health insurance or pay big fines, was supposed to take effect on January 1, 2014. But Bloomberg reports the deadline for the employer mandate has been pushed back one year:

Businesses won’t be penalized next year if they don’t provide workers health insurance after the Obama administration decided to delay a key requirement under its health-care law, two administration officials said.

The decision will come in regulatory guidance to be issued later this week. It addresses vehement complaints from employer groups about the administrative burden of reporting requirements, though it may also affect coverage provided to some workers. 

Court order stops enforcement of Obamacare contraception mandate against Hobby Lobby...

The contraception mandate is clearly unconstitutional in my humble non legal opinion.

(CNSNews.com) – Following on yesterday’s 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruling that Hobby Lobby can continue its lawsuit against the Obama administration’s contraception mandate on religious grounds, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma ruled today that the federal government must halt all enforcement of the mandate (and related financial penalties) against the Christian-based company.

Hobby Lobby and sister company Mardel are suing the Department of Health and Human Services and Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, arguing that to force the company to pay for health insurance that must offer abortion-inducing drugs, as well as sterilization and contraception, is a violation of its religious liberty. - See more at: http://cnsnews.com/news/article/court-gov-t-must-halt-enforcement-sterilization-contraception-abortifacient-mandate#sthash.jBJiTzcX.dpuf

Gallop: Forty-three percent of uninsured Americans unaware of aware of the “individual mandate”

These low information voters are in for a shock come 2014...3

Via CBS News:

One year after the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that all Americans acquire health insurance, a significant chunk of uninsured Americans are unaware of that looming requirement, a new poll shows.

Forty-three percent of uninsured Americans told Gallup, in a survey conducted June 20-24, that they had not been aware of the “individual mandate” before surveyed on it. Americans overall were more likely to know about the rule — 81 percent said they were aware of it.

Gallup surveyed a random sample of 2,048 adults across the U.S. The poll has a three-point margin of error.

The survey illustrates the challenge facing federal and state governments over the next three months, as they attempt to educate uninsured Americans about the requirement — and the new programs that will be in place to help them get insurance. Starting in January 2014, Americans without health insurance should be able to purchase private plans on an “exchange,” one of the state-based online marketplaces currently under development. Every state is expected to have its own exchange ready for open enrollment by October, though several states have opted to let the federal government run their programs.

Keep on reading…

Obama doubles-down on Obamacare contraception mandate

President Obama has declared he isn't giving any ground on the issue...

Via Washington Examiner:

President Obama promised not to “give any ground” on the contraception mandate that went into effect yesterday, despite lawsuits that contend the mandate violates the religious liberty of Americans who oppose contraception but will have to fund it anyway.

“[Women] are beginning to gain access to contraception at no additional cost I’m not going to give any ground to those who would deny women their own health care choices,” Obama told the women of the BlogHer conference in a video feed address. He was referring to the Health and Human Services Department’s mandate that insurance policies provide all women with free contraception and arguing that the refusal to pay for someone’s contraception is tantamount to denying that person access to health care.

The regulation, which passed into law as part of the Obamacare bill, went into effect on August 1st. It has come under fire from religious leaders of various backgrounds, including the Roman Catholic bishops who supported the broader health care law.

Keep on reading...

Video: President Obama Declares Obamacare "A Tax"

Oops!

White House Senior Adviser David Plouffe advises allies to keep lying and call Obamacare tax a penalty

Shameful...

(CNSNews.com) – A memo published by White House Senior Adviser David Plouffe advises allies to mislead when they discuss the recent Supreme Court decision on the individual mandate, saying they should call it a penalty when it is in fact a tax.

“In light of yesterday’s Supreme Court ruling to uphold the Affordable Care Act, Republicans in Washington are trying to deliberately misrepresent the President’s record of cutting taxes for the middle class,” Plouffe wrote in his memo Friday.[...]

“For those that can afford health insurance but stay uninsured—forcing the rest of us to subsidize their care for free—a penalty is administered,” the memo reads.

Nancy Pelosi: Obamacare won't work without mandate (video)

Nancy Pelosi is correct. Imagine is you allowed people to by auto insurance after they had a wreck and get their vehicles fixed.  Rates would have to skyrocket or they would go broke. The same is true for medical insurance. SCOTUS needs to strike down the entire law.

Flashback Video: Obama argues against Obamacare mandate

In hindsight, Obama is a liar and a deceiver. There is no other way to spin this.

Obama on the Mandate in 2008

Freshman Demo got booed by a crowded room for supporting HHS mandate on contraception and abortifacients (video)

And it happened in the State of New York.

Via Hot Air:

 Rep. Kathy Hochul expected to get some questions on the economy and on gas prices when she met with constituents in New York’s 26th Congressional district last night.  Instead, the freshman Democrat got booed by a crowded room over her support for the HHS mandate on contraception and abortifacients, and spent the evening getting an earful from angry voters:

Liberal Heartache: Sen. Dianne Feinstein Upset at Obama For His Faux “Compromise” On Birth Control Mandate

President Obama's alleged birth control mandate compromise is mostly a matter os semantics. There is no change in outcomes. It isn't a real compromise in any sense of the word. Obama has offered Catholics, who are important to his re-election, a very small fig leaf to try and hide behind.

SAN DIEGO – U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein expressed disappointment Saturday in the compromise the Obama administration announced this week on its birth control coverage mandate but said the decision “can be lived with.”

“I regret the fact that the president felt he had to do it, but he had to do it,” she told reporters after speaking at the California Democratic Party convention in San Diego.

The Obama administration announced Friday that it would not force certain religious institutions such as Catholic hospitals to comply with a health regulation requiring employers to provide employees with access to free contraceptives. While the faith-based employers will be able to opt out of the rule, insurance companies will be required to provide such coverage at no cost to the employer.

Feinstein’s comment contrasted with remarks made by House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, who defended the administration’s move. Pelosi told reporters that the move demonstrated Obama’s unifying leadership abilities and an ongoing commitment to women’s health.

Congressional Republicans on Obama's contraception mandate "accommodation": No deal

Congressional Republicans are moving ahead with a full repeal.

Via Healthwatch:

Congressional Republicans aren’t impressed with President Obama’s new policy on contraception and religious institutions.

Leaders on the House Energy and Commerce Committee said they still plan to move a bill that would make further changes to the administration’s mandate.

Obama said Friday that religious institutions like Catholic hospitals and universities will not have to include contraception in their employees’ healthcare plans or notify employees that they can get birth control directly from their insurer instead. But Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said the policy is still an affront to religious freedom.

“The administration has simply reaffirmed that Congressional action to permanently reverse this mandate is necessary,” Upton said in a statement.

Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) also dismissed the White House’s “accommodations,” saying the only solution is full repeal of the requirement that employers cover contraception without a co-pay.

Keep on reading…

Obama does a head fake on Obamacare contraception mandate

Religious groups won't be required to pay for contraception or the morning after pill as part of their health insurance plan, but they will be required to use an insurance company that provides it for free. If you needed proof Obama thinks you are stupid, here it is.

(FOX News)- President Obama plans to announce a plan Friday to accommodate religious organizations and others that are opposed to a new policy requiring contraceptive coverage for employees by making insurance companies the ones responsible for providing free contraception. 

The change would make the insurance companies, and not religious employers, responsible. Women would still have access to birth control without co-pays -- but religious schools and hospitals could refuse to cover it, passing the onus to the insurance companies. 

The change was described by a senior adviser as an "accommodation" -- but advisers said the announcement does not represent a "compromise." 

Rick Warren tweet: ‘I’d go to jail rather than cave in’ on Obamacare mandate

Via @RickWarren

Obama to reporter asking about contraceptive mandate: "Come on guys" (Video)

 Come on guys?

Senate Democrats Double-Down On Obamacare Contraceptive Mandate

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) is using the Obamacare contraceptive mandate as a fund-raising tool.

(CNSNews.com) – The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) – the campaign arm of the Senate Democratic Caucus – is using the controversy over the Obama administration’s contraceptive mandate to raise campaign funds.

The email, sent to potential Democratic donors, touts the Obama administration’s decision to require insurance providers to provide contraceptive and sterilization services free of charge.
The email, signed by DSCC Chair Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), calls opposition to the Obamacare mandate an “attack” on women’s health.

“Our right-wing opponents continue to launch attack after attack against women’s rights, women’s health, and women’s economic security — and we’ve got to fight back every single day,” the email says.

“The next battle over the Obama administration’s decision to make contraception more affordable under the new health care law is already underway.”

The DSCC says it has created a new grassroots effort, called the Standing Strong for Women Project – “to combat the Republican war on women.”

Keep on reading…

Tingles calls Obama's Obamacare contraception mandate "frightening" (video)

Tingles calls Obama's Obamacare contraception mandate "frightening."

“It gets to that interesting point, to me, which is frightening, when the state starts telling the church what to do and then the church can no longer teach. If the church teaches it’s morally wrong to use birth control how can you make the teacher pay for birth control without losing their authority, their moral authority?”