The Catholic Church has responded heatedly to new rules that will force employers to offer contraception free of charge for all employees as of an August 2012 deadline. Religious institutions can qualify for an exemption, but employers such as hospitals and universities, who employ large numbers of people who are not members of the Church, must abide by the mandate. In a blog post last Wednesday, the White House defended their position, stating that the new rules would not force anyone to buy contraception, to which the Church quickly responded that, under these new rules, all employees will essentially be covering the cost of contraception through their premium costs. Additionally, the Church said that the federal law is much different than earlier state regulation requiring employers to offer contraception, in that employers had the option to self-insure under state rules. Self-insurance will not be allowed under the federal law. One loophole does exist, however: the new rules do not “grandfather” in existing health plans, so religious institutions won’t be required to offer contraception unless they change their health care oferings.
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