How many companies might be affected by contraceptive ruling?

Jul 1 2014

Although Justice Alito said the Hobby Lobby decision would affect only a narrow group, others say many firms could fit in the definition of 'closely held.'

The Wall Street Journal: Hobby Lobby Ruling Raises Question: What Does 'Closely Held' Mean?
The three firms in the lawsuit-;Hobby Lobby Stores Inc., Conestoga Wood Specialties Corp. and Mardel-;all have the same business structure: they are owned and controlled by members of a single family. But closely held firms can take other ownership forms (Armour and Feintzeig, 6/30). 

NPR: How Many Companies Will Be Touched By Court's Contraception Ruling?
When the Supreme Court ruled Monday that "closely held" corporations don't have to pay for workers' contraception, you may have assumed the decision applied only to family-owned businesses. Wrong. An estimated 9 out of 10 businesses are "closely held." However, some benefits experts question just how many of those companies would want to assert religious views (Geewax, 6/30).

Kaiser Health News: Court Suggests Narrow Application Of Birth Control Case, But Others See Broader Impact
The Supreme Court's decision on contraceptives and employer health plans could affect companies and workers far beyond Hobby Lobby and the other plaintiffs. But nobody seems to know how far. The ruling applies to "closely held for-profit corporations," a small subset of employers, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote for the majority. But in a dissenting opinion, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg suggests the impact will be far broader (Hancock, 6/30).

Kaiser Health News: What The Hobby Lobby Decision Means For Employers
Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey and legal analyst Stuart Taylor discuss Monday's ruling on the health law's contraception mandate, examining what the decision could mean for future challenges to the law.