Obama administration finalizes contraception coverage policy

Published June 28, 2013 7:04pm ET



POLITICO – The Obama administration on Friday finalized its health care reform policy requiring nearly all employers to provide coverage of contraceptives in their employee health insurance policy free of co-pays, digging in its heels against backlash from religious groups.

The “safe harbor” agreement that gave temporary reprieve from the requirement to religious universities and hospitals was due to expire in just a month. But the administration on Friday extended that to January.


Otherwise, the policy — a piece of the president’s health care reform law — changed little since an earlier draft and continues to face opposition from religious groups that say it requires them to choose between their religious beliefs and government fines.


The final release of the rules Friday is likely to unleash more than two dozen lawsuits that were put on hold as the government finished its policy. Dozens of other lawsuits on the issue are already moving, and it’s expected to reach the Supreme Court.

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