Obama Unveils Hobby Lobby Compromise

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision, the Obama administration announced new measures on Friday to allow religious nonprofits and select companies to opt out of paying for birth control while still guaranteeing employee access to contraceptives. The rule, which would go into effect immediately, would allow religious colleges or nonprofits to inform the Department of Health and Human Services if it objects to providing coverage for birth control. The department would then contact insurance companies and arrange for birth control coverage at no cost to the employer or employee. Private companies (at least, those which meet the Supreme Court’s definition of a small, privately held company) that object to birth control coverage, however, would still have to contact their insurance companies directly.