Biden Administration’s Proposed Rule Removes Moral Exemption from Birth Control Mandate

The Biden Administration has proposed an expansion of current contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) by removing an existing Trump-era policy that made it easier for employers to deny birth control coverage in company-sponsored health plans.
The Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Treasury proposed the rule on Jan. 30, to roll back an exemption to the mandate that allows employers to opt out for moral convictions, according to an HHS press release. The policy, however, would still retain a religious exemption.
The move also creates an “independent pathway” for individuals enrolled in health plans to gain access to contraceptive services directly from a “willing contraceptive provider” at no cost, even if their employers object to providing it based on religious grounds. This provision, the agency explained in the statement, will “allow women and covered dependents to navigate their own care.”…}