Catholic Health Assn. seeks expanded contraceptive rule exemption
Reprints
WASHINGTON—The trade association representing more than 2,000 Catholic health care plan sponsors, health care systems, hospitals and related organizations has asked federal regulators to broaden an exemption concerning prescription contraceptives.
Under a federal rule that mandates such coverage, health insurers of nonprofit affiliates of religious organizations, such as universities and health care systems, will be required to offer the coverage at no charge. That part of the requirement will apply for plan years starting on or after Aug. 1, 2013.
The administration also is developing a rule that would apply to religious organizations' affiliates that self-insure their health care plans.
For other employers, the rule under the federal health care reform law requires them to directly offer the coverage for plan years starting on or after Aug. 1, 2012.
The rule, though, does not apply to religious organizations, such as churches, that primarily employ those with the same beliefs.
In a request filed last week, however, the Catholic Health Assn. of the United States in Washington said it wants the administration to expand the religious organization exemption to cover entities that share common religious bonds with a church.
“This definition would exempt from the contraceptive mandate Catholic hospitals and health care organizations as well as other ministries of the Church,” according to the letter the association sent to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
If the federal government insists that all employees in group health plans should have access to prescription contraceptives, then the government should provide and pay for the coverage “without any direct or indirect involvement of religious employers,” the association said.
Earlier, more than 40 Catholic organizations, including the archdioceses of New York and Washington, filed suit in federal courts to block implementation of the rule. Those suits are pending.
Read Next
-
Catholic bishops threaten lawsuit to block HHS contraceptive rule
WASHINGTON—Unless federal regulators reverse course or Congress intervenes, the organization representing Catholic bishops says it will sue to stop implementation of a final Department of Health and Human Services rule that will require health insurance coverage of prescription contraceptives.
Related Stories
-
Catholic bishops threaten lawsuit to block HHS contraceptive rule
-
Catholic organizations file suit to block prescription contraceptive rule
-
