Birth control: Trump expands opt-out for workplace insurance

Newrules allow claims of religious, moral objections.

President WASHINGTON —

Donald Trump is allowing more employers to opt out of providing no-cost birth control towomen by claiming religious or moral objections, issuing new rules Friday that take another step in rolling back the Obama health care law.

Employers with religious or moral qualms will also be able to coversomebirth control methods, and not others. Experts said that could interfere with efforts to promote modern long-acting implantable contraceptives, suchas IUDs, which aremore expensive.

The new policy was a long-anticipated revision to Affordable Care Act requirements that most companies cover birth control aspreventive care for women, at no additional cost. That Obamaera requirement applies to all FDA-approved methods, including the morning-after pill, which some religious conservatives call an abortion drug, though scientists say it hasnoeffectonwomen who are already pregnant.

As a result of the ACA, most women no longer pay for contraceptives. Several advocacy groups immediately announced plans to try to block the Trump administration rule. “We are preparing to see the government in court,” said Brigitte Amiri, a senior attorney for the ACLU.

Catholic bishops called the administration’smove a “return to common sense.”

Trump’s religious and moral exemption is expected to galvanize both his opponents and religious conservatives who back him, but it seems unlikely to have a major impact on America’s largely secular workplaces.

“I can’t imagine thatmany employers are going to be willing to certify that they have a moral objection to standard birth control methods,” said Dan Mendelson, president of the consulting firm Avalere Health.

That said, Mendelson said heworries the newrule will set a precedent forweakening ACA requirements that basic benefits be covered. “If you look at it as a public health issue, it is a step in the wrong direction, and it weakens the protections of the ACA,” he said.

Tens of thousands of women could be affected by Trump’s policy, but the vast majority of companies have no qualms about offering birth control benefits through their health plans. Human resource managers recognize that employers get an economic benefit from helping women space out their pregnancies, since female workers are central to most enterprises.

The administration estimatedthatsome200employerswho have already voiced objections to the Obama-era policywould qualify for the expanded opt-out, and that 120,000 women would be affected.

However, it’s unclear how major religion-affiliated employers such as Catholic hospitals and universities will respond.

Many Catholic hospitals now rely on an Obama-era workaroundunderwhichthe government pays for the cost of birth control coverage.

Thatworkaroundcancontinue under the new rules.