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Employers May Claim Religious Exemption On Birth Control Coverage

2020

The U.S. Supreme Court says in a 7-2 ruling that the Trump administration may allow employers and universities to opt out of the Affordable Care Act requirement to provide contraceptive care because of religious or moral objections. The opinion upheld a Trump administration rule that significantly cut back on the Affordable Care Act requirement that insurers provide free birth control coverage as part of almost all health care plans. The case goes back to a lower court, which the Supreme Court ordered to lift an injunction that had prevented the implementation of the exception. The decision greatly expands the ability of employers to claim the exception, and the government says between 70,000 and 126,000 women could lose access to cost-free birth control as a result. The cases are Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania and Trump v. Pennsylvania.