Posted on 07/24/2014 1:44:07 PM PDT by Welchie25
The Obama administration has filed a brief with the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver indicating it plans to develop an alternative for Catholic and other religious nonprofit employers to opt out of providing federally mandated contraceptives they object to including in their employee health care coverage.
Several media outlets, including AP, The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post, reported July 23 that the administration said it would come up with a "work-around" that would be different than the accommodation it currently has available to such employers.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, as part of the health care law, requires nearly all employers to cover contraceptives, sterilizations and some abortion-inducing drugs for all employees in their company health plan. It includes a narrow exemption for some religious employers that fit certain criteria.
Currently, there is an accommodation for those employers who don't fit the exemption but who are morally opposed to providing the coverage. They must fill out a self-certification form -- known as EBSA Form 700 -- to direct a third party, usually the manager of an employer's health plan, to provide the contested coverage.
Many religious employers who have sued over the mandate argue that even filling out Form 700 makes them complicit in providing coverage they find objectionable.
According to an AP story, the alternative the Obama administration said it plans to draft would allow these employers to opt out of the coverage they oppose without having to submit the form.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicreview.org ...
Time for right thinking states to do the same with this and a bunch of other unconstitutional federal intrusions into our freedoms.
I paid for my pills. It was no big deal.
And any of them lazy poor folks (who aren't working anyways) can go to Planned Parenthood.
Just like they believe the Constitution is a living document subject to change so is a written law subject to change by them at their every whim.
Who needs congress ?
The law was written to allow it to be changed on a whim
“...as the HHS Secretary may direct...”
Just goes to show that Pelosi knew what she was talking about when she urged the bill be passed before Americans found out what was in it.
Yep, there was a good reason for that
That which they can grant they can deny.
If you have to ask permission, they can refuse - while saying they gave you the possibility of a choice.
You can bet that any “plan” put forward by Obama will be less than meets the eye.
How about making it an opt-in?
Hopefully Rush doesn’t spend another full week screaming about this...it’s such a MINOR issue compared to others.
guess they are afraid to lose at scotus.
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