6. Obamacare & Birth Control
"Religious entities like churches, temples, and mosques are exempt from the Obamacare requirement. Religiously-affiliated institutions (think Catholic hospitals or universities) are not exempt..." Yahoo! News, 11 April 2013 There is growing unrest and controversy among the American people regarding the looming implementation of Obama's legacy maker, the Affordable Care Act, infamously known as "Obamacare." While a mere 36% of Americans believe that the U.S. healthcare system as is is either good or excellent, a whopping 61% believe that Obamacare will make the healthcare system worse in the first couple of years and 78% are happy with the healthcare they have now (Source: Rasmussen Polls). Skyrocketing costs over the first decade of implementation (estimated at approximately $2.6 trillion as opposed to Obama's initial suggestion of $900 billion) on top of a $16 trillion national debt at the time of this publication are paving the way for a fiscal world of hurt for the Gen Y and millennial generations. Among the most controversial mandate of Obamacare requires birth control coverage for all employers sans official religious entities such as churches; sounds tolerant, right? Well, other non-clergy religious institutions such as religious schools, businesses, nonprofits and hospitals would be required to provide birth control coverage, which goes strongly against the religious values of most faiths, or face a steep fine. This has led to thousands of lawsuits on behalf of religious institutions for infringing upon their first amendment right to free exercise of religion. I personally expect this issue to end up at the Supreme Court in the very near future, where it will be struck down. Only time will tell though.