Posted on 03/17/2012 5:40:46 AM PDT by NYer
From the National Catholic *Reporter* (not Register):
Taking a conciliatory tone and asking for a wide range of public comment, the Obama administration announced this afternoon new accommodations on a controversial mandate requiring contraceptive coverage in health care plans.
Coming after a month of continued opposition from the U.S. bishops to the mandate, which was first revised in early February to exempt certain religious organizations, today’s announced changes from the Department of Health and Human Services make a number of concessions, including allowing religious organizations that self-insure to be made exempt.
Also raised is the possibility that the definition given for religious employers in the original mandate could be changed.
. . .
News of the changes also came as a separate ruling on student health insurance coverage was announced by the Department of Health and Human Services this afternoon. Under that ruling, health care plans for students would be treated like those of employees of colleges and universities—meaning the colleges will have to provide contraceptive services to students without co-pay.
Religiously affiliated colleges and universities, however, would be shielded from this ruling, according to a statement from the HHS.
“In the same way that religious colleges and universities will not have to pay, arrange or refer for contraceptive coverage for their employees, they will not have to do so for their students who will get such coverage directly and separately from their insurer,” the statement said.
In the 32-page proposal on the broader health care mandate published in the Federal Register today, the Health and Human Services Department says it is not yet making final rules on the contraceptive mandate, but is instead issuing questions and suggestions for a 90-day comment period to begin today.
(Excerpt) Read more at ncregister.com ...
I wonder how that will play out with all the Christians who band together and ante into the pot to cover each other so outside insurance isn’t required.
Yes, I know. As the catz say, UR DOIN IT RONG, guys.
The church has to stand, as you say, and as much as I gripe about how they ignored the whole process until now, I am grateful they are standing, even as I’m fearful *they* will cave. As, in fact, they have been for a generation or more.
As others have pointed out, the Bishops don’t have the authority to give in, except on behalf of their individual dioceses. Faithful Catholic institutions are filing legal challenges, and they’re not going to withdraw them if a Bishop or the USCCB says a suitable compromise has been reached.
However, the heirarchy is missing a golden opportunity to place the American Catholic Church at the national level on the side of freedom for everyone and Christian moral values as a good for everyone. Even if they don’t reach an agreement with the Zero administration, they’ve already shown that they don’t “get it” regarding what is going on.
I didn’t mean “cave” in any official sense — there isn’t one. All they have is a pulpit, and in my opinion they have, collectively, wasted it. Now they want to be taken seriously — ok, better late than never— but where were they when the Community Organizer-cum-leader-of-the-free-world was campaigning with voodoo? Or when his footsoldiers were wearing “Obama 2008” baseball caps to Mass; or when the nation was “debating” this travesty of a law? The same place the bip — was it lynch?— was when Terri Schiavo was being starved to death: AWOL.
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