New Obama proposal gives religious groups more say in birth control mandate

The Obama administration is offering to expand the number of
faith-based groups that can be exempt from the controversial
contraception mandate and is proposing that third-party companies
administer coverage for self-insured faith-based groups at no cost.

At
its heart, the newest offering from the White House would allow
religious groups—dioceses, denominations and others—to decide which
affiliated institutions are "religious" and therefore exempt from the
new requirement that employers offer free contraception coverage as part
of employee insurance plans.

The proposals are an effort by the
administration to blunt criticisms of the controversial regulation,
especially by the nation's Catholic bishops, who have been at
loggerheads with the White House since President Obama announced the
contraception mandate in January.