NH GOP leaders back religious exemption
House Speaker William O'Brien, House Republican Leader D.J. Bettencourt, 2nd District Congressman Charles Bass, a spokesman for 1st District Congressman Frank Guinta and Catholic Bishop Peter Libasci (lu-BASH'-ee) told reporters at a news conference Monday the federal requirement should be overturned even though it no longer requires religious organizations to directly pay for contraceptives.
O'Brien said the House is working on a law change to grant religious organizations an exemption to a New Hampshire law in effect since 2000 passed with bipartisan support that requires the insurance coverage. O'Brien said the state law had just come to their attention. He said people can choose not to work for an employer who does not offer the coverage.
How Does Health Insurance Affect Organizations - News
CONCORD, NH—Some New Hampshire Republican leaders are backing a resolution calling on the federal government to rescind a rule requiring health insurance companies to provide contraceptives to employees of religious organizations.
The Obama administration's Affordable Care Act, which goes into effect in August, required employer health insurance plans, including those of church-affiliated universities, hospitals, and charities, to offer contraception at no cost.
Recently, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act amended the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and called for stepped-up privacy and security enforcement with respect to covered
It's a clever strategy, because it does not require majority political support. Small legal and bureaucratic changes can often be carried out under the political radar. The women most directly affected are those with the weakest political voice and the
Take two back-to-back sentences Santorum delivered Friday on the subject of requiring employers --even those owned by religious organizations -- to provide health insurance that covers oral contraceptives. (I'm not sure if Santorum had been informed of
Keeping My Ear To the Ground: What They Are Saying: Preventive ...
On Friday, President Obama announced that his Administration will implement a policy that accommodates religious liberty while protecting the health of women. Under the new policy, women will still have access to free preventive care that includes contraceptive services – no matter where she works. And as previously announced, churches and houses of worship will be exempt from the requirement to refer or provide coverage for contraception. But if a woman’s employer is a charity, hospital or other religious organization that has a religious objection to providing contraceptive services as part of its health plan, her insurance company – and not the hospital or charity – will be required to reach out and offer her contraceptive care free of charge. “Catholic Charities USA welcomes the Administration’s attempt to meet the concerns of the religious community and we look forward to reviewing the final language. We are hopeful that this is a step in the right direction and are committed to continuing our work to ensure that our religious institutions will continue to be granted the freedom to remain faithful to our beliefs, while also being committed to providing access to quality healthcare for our 70,000 employees and their families across the country.” “In the face of a misleading and outrageous assault on women’s health, the Obama administration has reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring all women will have access to birth control coverage, with no costly co-pays, no additional hurdles, and no matter where they work. We believe the compliance mechanism does not compromise a woman’s ability to access these critical birth control benefits.” “Catholics United has been calling on both sides of this heated debate to work towards today's win-win solution.