Companies dropping birth control coverage must tell workers

Jul 21 2014

Closely held companies that drop insurance coverage of birth control for religious reasons have 60 days to inform their employees, the administration said Thursday. The rule follows the Supreme Court's decision allowing some companies to opt out of the federal health law's mandate.

The Wall Street Journal's Law Blog: Health Plans Must Disclose Changes To Contraceptive Coverage
The Obama administration said Thursday that employers that stop covering contraceptives in workers' health plans must disclose the change to beneficiaries in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling. The requirement notice that appeared online follows the Supreme Court's late-June Hobby Lobby decision, which allows some closely held companies to opt out the federal law's contraceptive coverage requirements on religious grounds. It appeared on a Department of Labor website of frequently asked questions about the Affordable Care Act, which mandates contraception coverage (Armour, 7/17).

Bloomberg: Companies Dropping Birth Control Have To Alert Workers
Closely held companies that decide to drop insurance coverage of birth control for religious reasons have 60 days to tell their employees after they end the benefits, the Obama administration said today. The Supreme Court ruled last month that the U.S. can't force non-publicly traded companies to cover contraception under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. A 1993 law protecting religious freedom applies to companies whose owners oppose contraception such as intra-uterine devices or the so-called morning after pill, the court said. New rules posted today by the U.S. departments of Health, Labor and the Treasury are the first regulatory response to the decision from the court. The document orders companies to give employees a summary of any changes to their health benefits (Wayne, 7/17).