For Immediate Release
Friday, February 10, 2012
AFSCME Applauds President Obama’s Contraception Policy
Statement of AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee regarding President Obama’s contraception policy
Washington, DC —President Obama has announced a revision in the regulation that requires employers to include contraception coverage without co-pays. Before this revision, churches and others houses of worship were exempted from the regulation; however, religiously-affiliated hospitals, colleges and social services were not. Some representatives of these institutions, led by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, raised concerns about the original regulation. In response, the administration issued a new rule that exempts religiously-affiliated organizations from providing this coverage as well.
Instead, the rule requires the insurer to reach out to employees of religiously-affiliated organizations and make the coverage available to them without charge. While the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops rejected this accommodation, the Catholic Health Association, Catholic Charities and the Association of Jesuit Colleges and Universities issued statements in support of the new rule.
On the Hill, Republican leaders in the Senate indicated that they would seek a vote on a measure that would allow any employer to exclude coverage for any health benefit to which they had moral or religious objections. The legislation is drafted so broadly that it would allow employers to refuse to cover a range of care including mental health services, screening for HIV and treatment for AIDS, treatment for smoking-related lung cancer, as well as contraception.
AFSCME Pres. Gerald W. McEntee issued the following statement today regarding the revised policy:
“We commend the Obama Administration for working to accommodate the concerns raised by religious organizations and preserve religious freedom, while at the same time ensuring that women will have access to contraception services. This resolution fulfills the promise of the Affordable Care Act that women will have access to the full range of preventive services without a copay, including contraception, no matter where they work.”
