Obama Passes Rule To Guarantee Birth Control Coverage For All Working Women

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The Obama administration’s Department of Health and Human Services issued a rule on Friday that will guarantee all working women access to contraceptive coverage, even if their employers express religious objections to providing that coverage. The new regulations will comply with the Supreme Court’s directive to allow employer’s with religious objections to be exempted from providing coverage, by having the government or the insurance company pick up the tab for the cost of the contraceptive coverage.

The insured individual would not see a rate increase, because contraceptive coverage is viewed as cost-neutral in that the cost of providing the coverage is cancelled out by the cost savings that result from lower pregnancy rates.

Under the new regulations, employers who object to contraception must notify their insurance company or the federal government, so that those entities can assume the responsibility for providing coverage to female employees who require it. The new rule ensures that women will have access to birth control at no cost, regardless of who their employer is.

In a statement, Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards applauded the Obama administration’s decision. She noted:

What this means for women is that you will be able to get birth control without a copay, no matter where you work. Your boss shouldn’t decide whether or not your birth control is covered by insurance, and this guidance from the federal government will ensure women get birth control at no cost.

This decision will enable working women of reproductive age to receive contraceptive coverage even if they work for employers who refuse to provide that coverage. This is a common sense rule that protects women’s access to birth control without directly infringing upon an employer’s prerogative to oppose that coverage on religious grounds. The Obama administration has once again made it a priority to stand up for working women in America.

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Keith Brekhus

Keith Brekhus is a progressive American who currently resides in Red Lodge, Montana. He is co-host for the Liberal Fix radio show. He holds a Master's Degree in Sociology from the University of Missouri. In 2002, he ran for Congress as a Green Party candidate in the state of Missouri. In 2014, he worked as a field organizer for Democrat Ann Kirkpatrick's successful re-election bid in Arizona's 1st Congressional District. He can be followed on Twitter @keithbrekhus or on Facebook.