Affordable Health Care Law(s)

So today our President set policy for Catholics and contraception. I am not Catholic, but I know some. This is not about Catholics, it is about our Federal Government. I listened to the President and I asked (myself) "is he changing the law for Catholics?"

I went back to the Act, Affordable Health Care. I found a slightly newer version titled Compilation of Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, dated May, 2010. This document includes the amendments, and combines other acts that are referenced in the bill, but that is boring stuff.

What does it say about contraception and/or Catholics? Nothing, or nearly nothing. It does, however, use the word, "Secretary" over 3000 times, as in, "the Secretary will," or, "by the Secretary." It seems to be referring to the Executive Branch Secretary of Health and Human Services, although I could not find a definition of "Secretary." The Act also contains the "Secretary of Labor," and "Secretary of the Treasury." So this Act passed by the Congress gives an unelected Cabinet member the authority to make law.

Then there are executive orders like the one today. Here is an exert from an earlier EO, as listed on the Health and Human Services web site.

Pre-Regulatory Model Guidelines Under Section 1303 of the Affordable Care Act (PL-111-148): Issued Pursuant to Executive Order 13535 (March 24, 2010)

Section I. General Information

I.1. Purpose of these pre-regulatory model guidelines

Executive Order 13535, “Ensuring Enforcement and Implementation of Abortion Restrictions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (March 24, 2010) provides as follows:

“I hereby direct the Director of the OMB and the Secretary of HHS to develop, within 180 days of the date of this order, …. guidelines for State health insurance commissioners …. In developing these model guidelines, the Director of the OMB and the Secretary of HHS shall consult with executive agencies and offices that have relevant expertise in accounting principles, including, but not limited to, the Department of the Treasury, and with the Government Accountability Office.”

....

Upon completion of those model guidelines, the Secretary of HHS should promptly initiate a rulemaking to issue regulations, which will have the force of law, ….

Well, you can get more of this information on the web site. You haven't been to the web site! The Act gave all that instruction on using the web to provide us (the public) with all the information we need.

Example:

from a Compilation of patient protection and affordable care act

[as amended through May 1, 2010]

Including

Patient Protection And Affordable Care Act

Health-Related Portions Of The Health Care And

Education Reconciliation Act Of 2010

Prepared by the Office Of The Legislative Counsel

For the use of the U.S. House Of Representatives

SEC. 1103 [42 U.S.C. 18003]. IMMEDIATE INFORMATION THAT ALLOWS

CONSUMERS TO IDENTIFY AFFORDABLE COVERAGE OPTIONS.

(a) INTERNET PORTAL TO AFFORDABLE COVERAGE OPTIONS.—

(1) IMMEDIATE ESTABLISHMENT.—[As revised by section

10102(b)(1)] Not later than July 1, 2010, the Secretary, in consultation

with the States, shall establish a mechanism, including

an Internet website, through which a resident of any, or

small business in, State may identify affordable health insurance

coverage options in that State.