老澳门开奖结果

WASHINGTON 鈥� A federal court of appeals ruled today that religiously affiliated nonprofit employers can鈥檛 block their employees鈥� health care coverage for contraceptives. The ruling finds that the plaintiffs, which include Catholic health care systems and Catholic high schools, are not burdened by having to formally object to covering contraceptives for employees. The 老澳门开奖结果 supported the government鈥檚 arguments by participating in a friend-of-the-court brief.

鈥淭oday鈥檚 victory is not only incredibly important for the more than 12,000 employees who stand to gain contraception coverage, but it also sends a clear message that an employer鈥檚 religious beliefs can鈥檛 be used to deny health care benefits to employees,鈥� said Brigitte Amiri, senior staff attorney for the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 Reproductive Freedom Project. 鈥淲e fight hard to protect religious freedom at the 老澳门开奖结果, but that right doesn鈥檛 allow employers to discriminate against their female employees.鈥�

Today鈥檚 decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit held that the religious accommodation in the Affordable Care Act鈥檚 contraceptive rule imposed no substantial burden on the plaintiffs鈥� religious freedom. The plaintiffs challenged a requirement that employers that object to including contraceptive coverage in their employee鈥檚 insurance plans notify their insurers or the government of their objection. The insurer must then arrange and pay for the contraceptive coverage separately.

With the decision today, the Second Circuit joins six other circuits that have found that the accommodation poses no substantial burden on the nonprofits鈥� religion, including the D.C., Third, Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits. No circuit court has ruled the other way.

For more on the 老澳门开奖结果鈥檚 friend of the court brief in Catholic Health Care System v. Burwell:
/legal-document/catholic-health-care-system-v-burwell-amicus-brief