Biden Administration Proposes Bolstering Access To Contraceptives Mandate Under Obamacare

The Biden administration proposed eliminating employers’ ability to object to the contraceptive mandate on moral grounds under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), also known as Obamacare.
The proposed rule, unveiled Monday, would remove an exemption to the mandate that allows employers to opt out of moral convictions.
It would also create an independent pathway for individuals enrolled in plans offered by employers with religious exemptions to access contraceptive services through a willing provider without charge.
This would allow women and covered dependents to navigate their care and still obtain birth control at no cost in the event their plan or insurer has a religious exemption and, if eligible, has not elected the optional accommodation.
The proposed rule would leave in place the existing religious exemption for employers with objections and the optional accommodation for contraceptive coverage.
Under the new rule, a provider would offer contraception at no cost to the employee and be reimbursed by an insurer, who would receive a credit from the government.
The rule would also remove employer moral objections as grounds for exemption from coverage but keep religious ones in place.
CNN reported that the Health and Human Services Department estimated that the proposed rule change would impact more than 100 employers and 125,000 employees.