Trump administration narrows Affordable Care Act's contraception mandate

[DonViejo]

Source: The Washington Post



By Juliet Eilperin, Amy Goldstein and William Wan October 6 at 11:16 AM

The Trump administration issued a rule Friday that sharply limits the Affordable Care Act’s contraception coverage mandate, a move that could mean many American women would no longer have access to birth control free of charge.

The new regulation, issued by the Health and Human Services Department, allows a much broader group of employers and insurers to exempt themselves from covering contraceptives such as birth control pills on religious or moral grounds. The decision, anticipated from the Trump administration for months, is the latest twist in a seesawing legal and ideological fight that has surrounded this aspect of the 2010 health-care law nearly from the start.

Several religious groups, which battled the Obama administration for years over the controversial requirement, welcomed the action.

Women’s rights organizations and some medical professionals portrayed it as a blow to women’s health, warning that it could lead to a higher number of unintended pregnancies.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trump-administration-could-narrow-affordable-care-acts-contraception-mandate/2017/10/05/16139400-a9f0-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.html?hpid=hp_no-name_hp-breaking-news%3Apage%2Fbreaking-news-bar

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Trump rolls back Obamacare birth control mandate

The new policy reignites the battle over one of the health care law's most controversial provisions.

By BRIANNA EHLEY 10/06/2017 11:21 AM EDT Updated 10/06/2017 11:27 AM EDT

The Trump administration will allow virtually any employer to claim a religious or moral objection to Obamacare's birth control coverage mandate under a sweeping rollback announced Friday.

The new policy, which takes effect immediately, reignites a fierce battle over one of the health care law's most controversial provisions. The requirement to provide FDA-approved contraception at no cost was long opposed by religious groups that heavily favored Trump, and has been wrapped up in legal challenges for more than five years.

"The United States has a long history of providing conscience protections in the regulation of health care for entities and individuals with objections based on religious beliefs or moral convictions," the administration wrote in new rules.

Women's health care groups have already threatened lawsuits to block the new regulations, which they say will enable employers to deny their workers access to needed care. The administration said it was acting to protect individuals and groups from being forced to violate their religious beliefs as it downplayed concerns that more women would struggle to afford birth control.

"The attempts by the previous administration to provide some protections were inadequate," said a senior HHS official of the Obama administration's efforts to provide workarounds for religious groups. "They are being rebuffed here."

more
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/06/trump-rolls-back-obamacares-contraception-rule-243537

[DK504]

1. Let the law suits begin.

[iluvtennis]

2. Yep. Traitor Trump and his gang of GOP thugs have no sense of decency and respect for a woman's

right for purview over her body. GAH

[bronxiteforever]

3. as Margaret Atwood wrote,

“A rat in a maze is free to go anywhere, as long as it stays inside the maze.”
― Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid's Tale

And GOP values want women to stay in the maze.

[YOHABLO]

4. He's catering to the insurance co.s and the religious right. He actually doesn't give a damn.

[mahatmakanejeeves]

5. Religious Exemptions and Accommodations for Coverage of Certain Preventive Services under the ACA

Religious Exemptions and Accommodations for Coverage of Certain Preventive Services under the Affordable Care Act

https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2017/10/13/2017-21851/religious-exemptions-and-accommodations-for-coverage-of-certain-preventive-services-under-the

An unpublished Rule by the Internal Revenue Service, the Health and Human Services Department, and the Employee Benefits Security Administration on 10/13/2017

This document is unpublished. It is scheduled to be published on 10/13/2017.

Once it is published it will be available on this page in an official form. Until then, you can download the unpublished PDF version.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2017-21851.pdf

[Angry Dragon]

6. How come religion gets special rights??

this is the same argument I hear from the right about gays and lesbians

once a church or religion registers as a LLC they should have to live under the same laws