No New Exemption on Birth Control Rules

In a decision disappointing to many Christian and Roman Catholic colleges, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Friday that while religiously affiliated employers would have an additional year to comply with a new rule requiring health insurance plans to cover birth control with no cost-sharing or co-pays, the definition of religious employers completely exempt from the requirement will not change. The exemption covers houses of worship but is worded narrowly enough to exclude religiously affiliated groups, including colleges. Two colleges have sued over the requirement.