Contraception Coverage Rule Still Has Unanswered Questions (Business Insurance)

Following the Obama administration’s announcement last week that nonprofit affiliates of religious organizations will not be required to offer prescription contraceptive drug coverage to their employees, the administration said it will develop a comparable rule for employers affiliated with religious organizations that self-fund their health care plans. Critics, however, have expressed hesitations about just how well this law will work. For now, “I see a gaping hole” on the self-insurance issue, said Andy Anderson, a partner with Morgan, Lewis & Bockius L.L.P. in Chicago. Others in the Catholic community seem to be placated by the change. “The framework developed has responded to the issues we identified that needed to be fixed,” Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of the Catholic Health Care Assn. of the United States in Washington, said in a statement.