On Contraception, Obama Asks Insurance Companies to Save the Day
President Obama announced Friday a proposal he hopes will mollify conservatives who are irked about a rule that would require religious employers to provide free contraceptive products to workers under company health insurance plans. The proposal’s success banks on the generosity of insurance companies, which will be asked to pay for the services themselves.
President Obama announced Friday a proposal he hopes will mollify conservatives who are irked about a rule that would require religious employers to provide free contraceptive products to workers under company health insurance plans. The proposal’s success banks on the generosity of insurance companies, which will be asked to pay for the services themselves. –ARK
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...The New York Times:
“Religious liberty will be protected, and a law that requires free preventive care will not discriminate against women,” Mr. Obama told reporters in the White House briefing room. He said the “political football” his foes were making of the new rule prompted him to speed up work on a solution. “It became clear that spending months hammering a solution was not going to be an option.”
… The administration plan most closely resembles Hawaii’s, in which employees at religious institutions whose health insurance plans do not offer free contraception can get birth control through side benefits. The difference, though, is that whereas in Hawaii the employees nominally pay for the benefits, the Obama proposal would shift the cost to insurers. Administration officials hope that insurers will not object because in the long run, they argue, contraceptives end up saving more money than they cost because they prevent unwanted pregnancies.
This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
Film
Norwegian dramas “Sex” and “Love” search for the eternal in the flesh.
Courts & Law
The new law extends tax breaks for the wealthy while threatening health care, nutrition and safety nets for millions.
Labor
Union members across the country intensify the battle to keep workers — unionized or not — free and safe from federal immigration authorities.
Media
Tucker Carlson committed nothing but basic journalism in his post. More scandalous is how few journalists are driven to do the same anymore.
TD Original
The National Weather Service did its job on July 4. But reduced funding to critical weather programs kept local officials in the dark.
Activism
Vermont’s dairy industry relies on immigrants, and when those workers are detained, the community is showing up for them.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.