This Obama administration has announced that it will issue new regulations on the birth control coverage benefit that will address religious entities’ refusal to provide birth control coverage—while still ensuring all women have access to this important benefit, regardless of where they work. Click here to send a message supporting this policy to defend access to birth control with no copays.
Under the proposal that was announced today, which will be issued in forthcoming rules, “religious organizations” will not have to provide birth control coverage, subsidize the cost of birth control, or refer for birth control. However, the administration will ensure employees have access to birth control by requiring the employer’s health plan to provide birth control coverage to those women free-of-charge. The administration has conveyed that there will be no additional administrative burden on women who access the benefit through their health plan.
We believe the proposal outlined today will ensure that women who work for religiously-affiliated entities will have seamless access to the birth control coverage benefit. However, we will remain vigilant in working to hold the administration and health plans accountable to this standard.
Click here to read a Fox News piece that gets the story right!
