An Act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen

An Act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen
Great Seal of the United States
Enacted bythe 5th United States Congress
EffectiveSeptember 1, 1798
Legislative history
  • Passed the House of Representatives on April 12, 1798 (Voice)
  • Passed the Senate on July 14, 1798 (Voice)
  • Signed into law by President John Adams on July 16, 1798

An Act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen[1] was passed by the 5th Congress. It was signed by President John Adams on July 16, 171798The Act authorized the deduction of twenty cents per month from the wages of seamen, for the sole purpose of funding medical care for sick and disabled seamen, as well as building additional hospitals for the treatment of seamen.[1] While some argue this is the first Federal individual mandate levied on individuals for health insurance,[2] preceding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), passed in early 2010, by nearly 212 years; others would point to the fact that this law solely regulated employers engaged in interstate and foreign commerce, and was enacted as a matter of national security.[3]

  1. ^ a b "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875". {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. ^ Ungar, Rick (January 17, 2011). "Congress Passes Socialized Medicine and Mandates Health Insurance -In 1798". Forbes.com. Retrieved November 8, 2012.
  3. ^ Roy, Avik (February 6, 2011). "A History Seminar: Obamacare Has Nothing to Do with Seamen Mandate of 1798". Forbes.com. Retrieved October 12, 2013.

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