Source: Obama to change birth control rule
By Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY
Updated 9m ago
President Obama will announce a plan as early as today to accommodate religious employers opposed to a rule that would require them to cover birth control for women free of charge, a senior administration official tells USA TODAY.
The White House received backlash to the measure from Catholic clergy as well as Republican leaders this week. The administration announced last month that religious-affiliated employers had to cover birth control as preventative care for women. Churches and houses of worship were exempt, but all other affiliated organizations were ordered to comply by Aug. 2013.
"We're accommodating religious views [and] concerns, but it is wrong to say that we're going to compromise and meet them halfway. We're sticking to principle in terms of guaranteeing free contraceptive coverage for women," said the official, who asked for anonymity because the president has yet to announce the decision.
ABC News reports that the compromise will involve health insurance companies stepping to provide the coverage. It's cheaper for the insurance companies to offer the coverage than to not do so, because of unwanted pregnancies and resulting complications.
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...2/source-obama-to-change-birth-control-rule/1
By Aamer Madhani, USA TODAY
Updated 9m ago
President Obama will announce a plan as early as today to accommodate religious employers opposed to a rule that would require them to cover birth control for women free of charge, a senior administration official tells USA TODAY.
The White House received backlash to the measure from Catholic clergy as well as Republican leaders this week. The administration announced last month that religious-affiliated employers had to cover birth control as preventative care for women. Churches and houses of worship were exempt, but all other affiliated organizations were ordered to comply by Aug. 2013.
"We're accommodating religious views [and] concerns, but it is wrong to say that we're going to compromise and meet them halfway. We're sticking to principle in terms of guaranteeing free contraceptive coverage for women," said the official, who asked for anonymity because the president has yet to announce the decision.
ABC News reports that the compromise will involve health insurance companies stepping to provide the coverage. It's cheaper for the insurance companies to offer the coverage than to not do so, because of unwanted pregnancies and resulting complications.
http://content.usatoday.com/communi...2/source-obama-to-change-birth-control-rule/1
