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UD to re-evaluate contraception plan

Obama modifies rule so that religious employers won’t have to pay for services

President Barack Obama concludes his remarks in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, where he announced the revamp of his contraception policy requiring religious institutions to fully pay for birth control.

Susan Walsh/AP Photo President Barack Obama concludes his remarks in the Brady Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Friday, Feb. 10, 2012, where he announced the revamp of his contraception policy requiring religious institutions to fully pay for birth control.

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President Obama announced changes in plans to implement its rule on contraceptives which would have required health insurance plans, including those offered by Roman Catholic hospitals and universities, to provide free birth control to female employees.

Contributed photo President Obama announced changes in plans to implement its rule on contraceptives which would have required health insurance plans, including those offered by Roman Catholic hospitals and universities, to provide free birth control to female employees.

ENLARGE PHOTO

Bishops: New birth control rule ‘a first step’

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By Tom Beyerlein , Staff Writer Updated 1:56 AM Saturday, February 11, 2012

University of Dayton officials said Friday they are re-evaluating the university’s medical plan, which covers birth control pills and procedures including vasectomies and tubal ligations, as controversy continues to boil over whether a federal health care edict abridges religious freedom.

Teri Rizvi, associate vice president for communications at the Marianist university, said UD’s employee benefits plan through Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield has offered contraceptive care for years. She said it’s unclear how UD came to cover contraceptives, the use of which clashes with Catholic teachings.

“The president (UD’s Daniel Curran) is asking those questions and we’re looking at our policies. I would say he’s looking at it seriously,” Rizvi said. “We are very concerned about our mission as a Catholic institution, but we don’t employ solely Catholics on our campus.”

Obama on Friday backed off a requirement that most employers provide health insurance offering free contraceptives to women employees. The rule exempted churches, but not church-affiliated universities, hospitals and social service agencies. He announced Friday that if such religious institutions object to offering the coverage, insurance companies will be required to provide it without cost. The rule goes into effect in August.

Planned Parenthood and the Catholic Health Association were among those endorsing the modification, while insurance companies were raising questions about the requirement that they offer free services. House Speaker John Boehner, R-West Chester Twp., was among the chorus of Republicans expressing dissatisfaction over the new rule.

“I don’t think anybody can reasonably expect this announcement to completely defuse this controversy, and part of the reason is that not all of the controversy is real: It’s politics,” said Adam Sonfield, senior public policy associate with the reproductive rights group the Guttmacher Institute. He called the new rule “a reasonable effort to solve both issues — health care and religious liberty.”

Sonfield said there’s little data on how many Catholic institutions offer contraceptive care to their employees. “It’s been difficult to figure out what’s going on on the ground,” he said. “It’s not something religious organizations would want to trumpet, if they’re doing something that’s contrary to (the wishes of) local bishops.”

Robert Denhard of the Ohio Department of Insurance said the state doesn’t keep data on how many employers do and don’t cover contraceptives. He said major insurers offer plans that do not include those services for employers with religious or moral objections.

Major Catholic employers in the Dayton area are mixed in their coverage, the Dayton Daily News learned. While UD does cover contraceptives, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and Good Samaritan Hospital generally do not.

“As is the case with a number of Catholic universities and hospitals across the nation, our health care coverage covers drugs that doctors prescribe, which includes contraceptives,” UD’s Rizvi said in a statement. “Our plan does not cover abortion or abortion-inducing drugs.” UD has 2,250 employees eligible for health coverage.

As for Friday’s announcement, Rizvi said, “We have been concerned about the protection of religious liberty and hope that principle will be safeguarded. As we move forward, we are continuing to consult with the archbishop and the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities as well as examining our own policies.”

Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr was among more than 100 bishops nationwide who late last month signed similarly worded letters condemning the initial regulations and pledging not to comply with them. His spokesman, Dan Andriacco, said Friday that “it’s too early to make any comment” about Friday’s modification.

“We’re all studying it,” he said. “Our moral theologians will look at it, and we’ll certainly have something to say about this later.”

While the rule never applied to churches, Andriacco said it could have applied to parish schools and Catholic high schools, which are self-insured by the archdiocese in a plan administered by Anthem. He said the plan covers no contraceptive measures except for birth control pills prescribed for medical reasons other than contraception.

A similar plan is in place at Good Samaritan Hospital, spokeswoman Renee Roberts said in a statement. “As a Catholic organization, the principles and values of the Catholic Church are important to Good Samaritan Hospital. Our employee benefit package honors these values and does not cover these services.”

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