Retail groups have condemned the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 split decision today upholding ObamaCare as constitutional. The court upheld the law, formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, including its mandate requiring individuals to buy health insurance and employers with 50 employees or more to provide insurance to their workers, Associated Press (AP) reported.

ObamaCare will punish businesses of all sizes, the National Retail Federation (NRF) said. "The court missed an opportunity to redress the many shortcomings of the law," NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said in a statement. "As it stands, the law wrongly focuses more on penalizing employers and the private sector than reducing health costs.

"Although the court upheld the law's constitutionality, many problems remain: it penalizes employers too much; it doesn't do enough to reduce the cost of healthcare; and it is unreasonably complicated and difficult to implement and administer," Shay added. "This law will have a dramatic, negative impact on every employer and employee in the United States and further constrain job creation and economic growth."

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) also criticized the ruling. "President Obama repeatedly assured Americans that if they liked their health insurance, they could keep it," said RILA President Sandy Kennedy. "However, today, with just 17 months until the law takes effect, and no meaningful implementation guidelines available for employers, those assurances are in doubt. While retailers are committed to continuing to provide health coverage to their employees, overregulation jeopardizes their ability to do so."

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins also said the Supreme Court decision "will do serious harm" to American families and businesses."The Obama administration has created, for the first time in American history, new federal regulations that toss aside the constitutional right to religious freedom by forcing religious institutions and employers to pay for abortion-causing drugs, contraceptives and sterilizations," he said.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said he would repeal Obamacare if elected president, AP reported.

Read the full report on the historic ruling in the September issue of Christian Retailing.

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