LinkIgor Volsky sounds encouraged. Here's a quick news brief, via HuffPo:
Faced with nearly 50 lawsuits by employers with religious objections, the Obama administration announced on Friday new details of the contraception coverage rule that clarify which employers will be exempt from having to cover contraception costs for their employees.
The new rules announced on Friday eliminate some confusion over which organizations qualify for the exemption by requiring employers with religious objections to self-certify that they are non-profits with religion as a core part of their mission. Religiously affiliated organizations that choose to insure themselves would instruct their "third-party administrator" to provide coverage through separate individual health insurance policies so that they do not have to pay for services to which they morally object. [...]
The courts have largely dismissed those cases because non-profits with religious objections were given a one-year grace period to comply with the birth control coverage rule. [...]
Reproductive rights advocates said on Friday that they are still pleased with the details of the contraception rule.
More, via an L.A. Times email alert:
The Obama administration plans to announce a broader opt-out for religious nonprofits that object to providing health insurance that covers birth control, according to reports today.
The administration will allow religious nonprofits to offer coverage that does not include contraception. In such cases, a third-party issuer will handle all business related to providing birth-control coverage for women, according to a source familiar with the changes who spoke to the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.
The post Obama administration clarifies contraception mandate to accommodate religious groups appeared first on The Political Carnival.
