WASHINGTON (AP) ? The Obama administration is laying out options for carrying out the president’s compromise on free birth control for women working at church-affiliated institutions like hospitals and colleges.
A regulatory proposal unveiled Friday lists options for providing contraceptives at no cost to the employees. Administration officials are seeking public comment before making a final decision.
The government now classifies birth control as preventive health care, and President Barack Obama’s health care law requires health plans to cover prevention free of charge.
The options cover a range of scenarios affecting nonprofit religious employers, large and small, that serve the public. Churches, synagogues, mosques and other houses of worship are exempt.
The proposals are unlikely to please Catholic bishops, but the administration is hoping to accommodate hospitals, colleges and charitable organizations.