President Obama announced on Friday a new policy that will provide free contraceptive coverage to women who work at religious organizations, including colleges, but will not require their employers to pay for or provide referrals to that service. Instead, insurance companies will be required to provide the coverage free of charge.
The general requirement that employers must offer free access to preventive care, including contraception for female employees, is part of the Obama administration’s health-care overhaul. It exempts employers, like churches, whose main purpose is to inculcate religious values and that primarily employ and serve people who share those values. The exemption does not cover religious schools, colleges, and hospitals, and in January the administration announced that it would give those organizations an extra year to comply with the rule. A number of colleges have complained about or filed suit over the policy.
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