March 25 (Bloomberg) — A divided U.S. Supreme Court debated whether companies can assert the same religious rights as individuals, hearing arguments in an ideological clash over Obamacare and rules promoting contraceptive coverage.
The 90-minute session marked the Supreme Court's first look at the health law since the justices upheld its core provisions in 2012. At issue is whether two family-owned companies are entitled to a religious exemption from the requirement that employers cover birth control as part of worker-insurance plans.
Hobby Lobby Stores Inc. and Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. are asking the court to give for-profit corporations religious freedoms, with potentially sweeping rights to opt out of laws they say are immoral. A victory for the companies would put a dent in a health-care law that remains under siege on multiple fronts four years after it was passed.
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