Starting today, virtually any employer will be able to deny birth control coverage to their employees based on religious or moral objections, thanks to a new policy by the Trump administration.
Following months of unsuccessful attempts to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, the Trump administration took a different route and enacted two federal rules rolling back the no-copay birth control mandate aspect of Obamacare, Politico reports. The first rule outlines how an employer can qualify for an exemption on religious beliefs, while the second focuses on exemptions on moral grounds.
These directives?which went into effect immediately?are very similar to the draft leaked in May, which was immediately and roundly rejected and criticized by Democrats as well as public health and women?s health advocacy groups. More: Ivanka Trump Just Missed a Chance to Help Women Close the Wage Gap
Under the ACA, almost all employers are required to offer health insurance to their employees that includes coverage of various forms of contraception, including birth control pills and intrauterine devices. Employers have had the ability to request a moral or religious exemption under the ACA, but only religious houses of worship were eligible?later broadened by the Hobby Lobby case to include ?closely held? private businesses if covering birth control violated their religious beliefs. Between the 2014 Hobby Lobby ruling and October 2016, Politico found that 52 companies of nonpro...