HEALTH CARE

No Religious Exception for Birth Control

But hospitals will have extra year to comply with the law.

Let the conservative backlash begin. The Obama administration ruled on Friday that religiously affiliated organizations will have to offer female employees birth control coverage, rejecting the Roman Catholic Church’s exemption request for its hospitals, colleges and charities. The administration will, however, give some employers an extra year to comply with the law, which means coverage for their employees won’t begin until after the 2012 elections. All other insurers will have to comply by August 1. The federal legislation does not apply to churches, synagogues, mosques, temples, and religious elementary and secondary schools. Despite this concession, some church groups have complained that the exemption is too narrow.