Originally Posted By: Sicilian Babe
I somehow missed that point. I thought the Church was objecting to being forced to provide the birth control option to their employees because the Church considers birth control a sin. And if that's the case, what's the difference if there's a copay or not?



Hey SB!

The Church (although they're out front on this I don't think they're the only impacted group) has a group of associated organizations that they run yes-charities, adoption agencies, schools, universities,etc. Most of these groups do provide health care coverage for their employees. A tiny few (SHHHHHHHHHH) may already provide coverage that includes birth control pills and other things that go against Catholic teaching.

But most do not. Most purchase coverage that doesn't include items that are problematic from the Catholic POV. The new rule says that not only does the employer have to purchase coverage that includes birth control and sterilization, but also that there can be no co-pays or deductible. The Church wanted an religious exemption to this requirement for itself and all of its subsidiaries but HHS declined.

So someone actually working directly for the Church would still fall under an exemption for religion. Someone working in any of the subsidiaries would not.

EG. the secretary for the parish priest would be exempt but the principal for the Catholic school would not be. The Catholic school would have to purchase policies that included bc for all of its employees.

For the Catholic leadership (no clue about rank and file) this is infuriating because they would be forced to purchase things they consider wrong or even sinful. So there's gonna be a fight...

"When the snows fall and the white winds blow, the lone wolf dies but the pack survives."
Winter is Coming

Now this is the Law of the Jungle—as old and as true as the sky; And the wolf that shall keep it may prosper, but the wolf that shall break it must die.
As the creeper that girdles the tree-trunk, the Law runneth forward and back; For the strength of the Pack is the Wolf, and the strength of the Wolf is the Pack.