FOXNews.com: White House Offers Religious Groups Contraceptive Mandate Compromise

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White House Offers Religious Groups Contraceptive Mandate Compromise Feb 1st 2013, 18:02 The Obama administration on Friday announced a broader opt-out for religious-affiliated groups that want to skirt the so-called contraceptive mandate, following through on a pledge last year to provide an "accommodation" in the face of complaints from Catholic schools, religious-affiliated service providers and other organizations.  The proposed regulations out Friday, though, are not likely to satisfy all concerns about the ObamaCare rule requiring near-universal access to contraceptive coverage for employees. Businesses like Hobby Lobby, which sued the administration over the rule, would probably not be affected by the change because it is not a religious employer -- though the owner of that company has objected on religious and moral grounds.  The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, which has represented several religious-affiliated schools suing over the rule, said Friday it was still studying the proposal's impact on its clients. But the group said the proposal "does nothing to protect the religious liberty of millions of Americans."  "The rights of family businesses like Hobby Lobby are still being violated," Becket Fund General Counsel Kyle Duncan said in a statement.  The pro-life Susan B. Anthony List also panned the announcement Friday. "There must be no religious 'test' by the government as to who, and what type of entities, are entitled to a conscience," President Marjorie Dannenfelser said in a statement.  Her group said "non-religious entities" such as their own should be taken into consideration. "The only acceptable outcome is the complete repeal of the HHS mandate and the restoration of a thriving marketplace where Americans can choose health care coverage consistent with their beliefs," she said. On a Department of Health and Human Services conference call, Deputy Director of Policy and Regulation Chiquita Brooks-LaSure noted that the rule is "not yet final."  Still, she stressed that the changes would spare many with religious objections, while allowing women access to free birth control.  "No nonprofit religious institution will be forced to pay for or provide contraceptive coverage, and churches and houses of worship are specifically exempt," she said.  For nonprofit religious organizations like hospitals and schools, the Department of Health and Human Services announced the administration will allow them to offer coverage that does not include contraception.  For those with insured plans, the insurer would be required to provide enrollees with "no-cost contraceptive coverage" through a separate policy.  For self-insured plans, a third-party administrator would work with an insurer to set up no-cost coverage through other policies.  Religious groups had said the old birth-control coverage rule violated their religious beliefs. Many filed lawsuits or said they would simply not comply.  Some of them mostly wanted to make sure the administration followed through on its commitment to re-write the policy. A D.C. Court of Appeals decision recently ordered the administration to verify that it was revising the policy, as part of a lawsuit filed by two religious-affiliated colleges.  But then in late December, Hobby Lobby was denied by the Supreme Court when it sought to shield itself from the mandate -- and the accompanying fines -- while court proceedings went forward.  CEO David Green had argued that his family would have to either "violate their faith by covering abortion-causing drugs or be exposed to severe penalties." Hobby Lobby was most concerned about coverage for the morning-after pill, which some consider tantamount to an abortion-causing drug.  Hobby Lobby has said the fines for not complying could add up to $1.3 million a day.  The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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