Why are Muslims exempt from ObamaCare?

Answer 1

It's not just Muslims that can claim exemption from the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. Any person or group may apply for a waiver or claim exemption from the penalty based on religious beliefs. This has already been settled by the courts and many waivers and extensions have already been approved. Exemptions should be filed at tax time.

Based on latest public information as of Nov 2013, may change over implementation and rules development [please update paragraph as rules are released or hit federal register]. For the moment, The exemption should be requested in writing from the designated enforcement agency, the I.R.S. Your request may be enlcosed with your tax return or upon receipt of an ACA Tax compliance notice. Your exemption will be reviewed for acceptance by the I.R.S. [No known rules have yet been established for approval/acceptance guidelines.]

Additionally, Non citizens, undocumented aliens within the borders of the U.S. are automatically exempt from the requirement to purchase coverage. This is actually spelled out within the text of the Affordable Care Act itself and is available for anyone to read.

AnswerI suspect that your question is grounded in an Urban Myth. Whether for ill, or for good, all citizens of the US are covered under its provisions. AnswerMuslims (and any person following any other religion) are NOT exempt from the ACA's provisions. In addition, all legal residents of the USA must obtain coverage, not just citizens. Illegal residents are not covered by the law, and thus can't be penalized for failure to adhere to it, but neither can they take advantage of any of its provisions.

Religious institutions (i.e. churches, NOT religious-sponsored businesses or organizations) are exempted from certain provisions of the coverage requirements (e.g. the Roman Catholic Church is exempt from providing free Birth Control to its priests and nuns), but are NOT exempted from any other requirements, which include providing full coverage to any non-clerical employee.

[Side note: whether or not religion allows an employer to ignore certain portions of the ACA is currently in litigation, and will be decided by the Supreme Court in 2014. However, it is extremely unlikely that SCOTUS will rule in favor of these employers, as such a ruling would change decades of legal precedence and induce massive chaos into the employment market.]