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Obama retreats on birth control
By Daniel Strauss and Amie Parnes - 02/10/12 11:24 AM ET
The White House will announce a retreat from its controversial rule requiring religious organizations like charities and hospitals to include contraception coverage in their healthcare plans.
President Obama has come under heavy criticism from the Catholic Church and other religious organizations, Republicans and even some Democrats over the issue, and Vice President Biden has suggested a compromise could be worked out.
Senior administration officials said the compromise would allow employees to buy birth control directly from the health insurer covering an employer's plan. The employee would not buy the insurance through the employer.
In another nod to the Catholic Church and other critics, the compromise would not require employers to refer employees to groups that provide contraception.
The officials called the so-called accommodation "the right way forward" that adheres to two principles "the president holds dear."
"Women deserve to have this preventative health care and ... this allows those employees to have the same access and the same affordability," one senior administration official said.
The officials say Obama listened to the concerns of all the stakeholders, and that because he worked with churches through his work as a community organizer, he "understands deeply" the work they do.
Obama, who ducked questions about the issue on Thursday, is scheduled to deliver a statement at 12:15 p.m. Friday in which he is expected to discuss the matter.
One senior administration official said the approach is "what the country wants" and what the president will address in his comments Friday afternoon.
"Lets move forward on healthcare," the official said. "Let’s make sure women have the services they need but let’s respect religious freedom. It's what we intended to do when we said we needed a little more time.”
The change is significant from the initial rule, which required all employers to provide birth control as part of their health insurance. Churches were exempt from the rule, but hospitals, schools and charities run by the Catholic Church, for example, would not have been exempt.
That set off a political firestorm. Priests from an estimated 70 percent of the nation's parishes spoke against the ruling at Sunday services last month.
The White House has also come under pressure from pro-abortion-rights groups and lawmakers to not back away from the rule, putting Obama in a tricky position. But statement from Planned Parenthood and Emily's List on Friday praised the compromise.
“We believe the compliance mechanism does not compromise a woman’s ability to access these critical birth control benefits," said Planed Parenthood President Cecile Richards in a statement. “However we will be vigilant in holding the administration and the institutions accountable for a rigorous, fair and consistent implementation of the policy, which does not compromise the essential principles of access to care."
It’s unclear whether the White House change will appease critics of the rule, who have portrayed it as an attack on religious freedom because it would force religious organizations to offer something that goes against their beliefs.
But Sister Carol Keehan, who runs the Catholic Health Organization, told the Associated Press that the new deal "responded to the issues we identified that needed to be fixed."
The White House had been looking at a Hawaiian state law that requires employers to notify their employees that they do not offer the coverage. The employees can then buy the coverage directly from an insurer. The coverage is provided at a low cost, as the insurer saves money by offering the coverage by reducing pregnancies.
In Hawaii, the employer must tell employees that their plan doesn't cover contraception and tell them how to obtain birth control directly from the insurance company. Under the Obama administration's policy, however, religious employers won't have to provide that referral. Insurers will reach out directly to let women know they can obtain contraception, a senior administration official said.
Pressure on the administration has been growing all week. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) vowed to have it repealed, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee will consider legislation next week.
Several Democrats have spoken out against it, including Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (Pa.) and Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine, the former head of the Democratic National Committee. The vice president and former chief of staff Richard Daley reportedly argued against the rule within the administration. Biden on Thursday said he believed something could be worked out.
Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan even warned it could cost Obama his reelection in a column earlier this week.
I think we were talking last night about the fact that he HAD to back away from this
By Daniel Strauss and Amie Parnes - 02/10/12 11:24 AM ET
The White House will announce a retreat from its controversial rule requiring religious organizations like charities and hospitals to include contraception coverage in their healthcare plans.
President Obama has come under heavy criticism from the Catholic Church and other religious organizations, Republicans and even some Democrats over the issue, and Vice President Biden has suggested a compromise could be worked out.
Senior administration officials said the compromise would allow employees to buy birth control directly from the health insurer covering an employer's plan. The employee would not buy the insurance through the employer.
In another nod to the Catholic Church and other critics, the compromise would not require employers to refer employees to groups that provide contraception.
The officials called the so-called accommodation "the right way forward" that adheres to two principles "the president holds dear."
"Women deserve to have this preventative health care and ... this allows those employees to have the same access and the same affordability," one senior administration official said.
The officials say Obama listened to the concerns of all the stakeholders, and that because he worked with churches through his work as a community organizer, he "understands deeply" the work they do.
Obama, who ducked questions about the issue on Thursday, is scheduled to deliver a statement at 12:15 p.m. Friday in which he is expected to discuss the matter.
One senior administration official said the approach is "what the country wants" and what the president will address in his comments Friday afternoon.
"Lets move forward on healthcare," the official said. "Let’s make sure women have the services they need but let’s respect religious freedom. It's what we intended to do when we said we needed a little more time.”
The change is significant from the initial rule, which required all employers to provide birth control as part of their health insurance. Churches were exempt from the rule, but hospitals, schools and charities run by the Catholic Church, for example, would not have been exempt.
That set off a political firestorm. Priests from an estimated 70 percent of the nation's parishes spoke against the ruling at Sunday services last month.
The White House has also come under pressure from pro-abortion-rights groups and lawmakers to not back away from the rule, putting Obama in a tricky position. But statement from Planned Parenthood and Emily's List on Friday praised the compromise.
“We believe the compliance mechanism does not compromise a woman’s ability to access these critical birth control benefits," said Planed Parenthood President Cecile Richards in a statement. “However we will be vigilant in holding the administration and the institutions accountable for a rigorous, fair and consistent implementation of the policy, which does not compromise the essential principles of access to care."
It’s unclear whether the White House change will appease critics of the rule, who have portrayed it as an attack on religious freedom because it would force religious organizations to offer something that goes against their beliefs.
But Sister Carol Keehan, who runs the Catholic Health Organization, told the Associated Press that the new deal "responded to the issues we identified that needed to be fixed."
The White House had been looking at a Hawaiian state law that requires employers to notify their employees that they do not offer the coverage. The employees can then buy the coverage directly from an insurer. The coverage is provided at a low cost, as the insurer saves money by offering the coverage by reducing pregnancies.
In Hawaii, the employer must tell employees that their plan doesn't cover contraception and tell them how to obtain birth control directly from the insurance company. Under the Obama administration's policy, however, religious employers won't have to provide that referral. Insurers will reach out directly to let women know they can obtain contraception, a senior administration official said.
Pressure on the administration has been growing all week. Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) vowed to have it repealed, and the House Energy and Commerce Committee will consider legislation next week.
Several Democrats have spoken out against it, including Sen. Bob Casey Jr. (Pa.) and Virginia Senate candidate Tim Kaine, the former head of the Democratic National Committee. The vice president and former chief of staff Richard Daley reportedly argued against the rule within the administration. Biden on Thursday said he believed something could be worked out.
Wall Street Journal columnist Peggy Noonan even warned it could cost Obama his reelection in a column earlier this week.
I think we were talking last night about the fact that he HAD to back away from this
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