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Hobby Lobby Bucks Obamacare; Faces Millions in Fines

Hobby Lobby, a craft store giant in the south and midwestern U.S. known for its Christian faith, is expected to pay fines of more than $1M per day for noncompliance with the provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare. As told by the CNN Belief Blog, Hobby Lobby officially opposes providing contraceptives to employees which equate to abortion, such as the morning after pill. After attempts to receive relief from the fines from the Supreme Court failed, Hobby Lobby’s attorneys announced that “to remain true to their faith, it is not their intention, as a company, to pay for abortion-inducing drugs.”

“All they’re asking for is a narrow exemption from the law that says they don’t have to provide drugs they believe cause abortions,” the company’s attorney, Kyle Duncan, told CNN. “Our basic point is the government can’t put a corporation in the position of choosing between its faith and following the law.”

IRS regulations now state that a group health plan that does not comply with Obamacare standards is subject to an “excise tax” of $100 per day per individual for each day the plan does not comply. Hobby Lobby employs more than 13,000 people in more than 500 stores, and the company’s attorneys say the excise tax would amount to $1.3 million per day. Last week, Hobby Lobby attorneys petitioned the Supreme Court for relief from the fines until the case was decided by the circuit court of appeals in Denver.

Churches, houses of worship, and nonprofit religious employers who primarily share and serve those who share their religion are exempt from the regulation.

Watch a video about the issue here.