New Rules Give Employers Right to Deny Contraception Coverage

The Trump administration issued new rules Wednesday that gave some employers the right to refuse contraceptive coverage for their employees' health insurance.

The Departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury, and Labor issued a statement that outlines the rules, which said the following:

• Businesses can opt not to include contraceptive coverage based on "sincerely held religious beliefs."
• Business can opt out of contraceptive coverage based on "non-religious moral convictions."
• Not included in the rules are publicly traded companies and government entities.
• The Affordable Care Act, which passed in 2010, forced all employers to offer contraceptive coverage in their health insurance plans.

As the statement noted, the rules do not prevent any employer from covering contraceptives. Rather, they provide employers the right to cite their religious or moral beliefs to deny the coverage.

The government expects no more than 200 employers will choose to take advantage of the rules.

The rules were first proposed a year ago, which critics said ignored some of the scientific benefits of contraception.

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