White House: Companies must notify workers when they don't cover birth control

If an employer wants to deny birth control coverage to an employee, the Obama administration says the objection must be fully disclosed.

Under a new clarification posted on the Department of Labor's website, employers have up to 60 days after adopting or changing a plan to give employees "a description of the extent to which preventive services (which includes contraceptive services) are covered under the plan."

The clarification is not a new rule. It simply explains that an existing regulation still applies to employers opting out of birth control coverage.

The Obama administration's regulatory clarification comes one day after Senate Republicans blocked a bill that would nullify the Supreme Court's Hobby Lobby decision and require companies to provide birth control coverage to their employees.

A senior administration official said the White House would like Congress to take action that would "keep bosses from interfering in a woman’s health care." The official added, "In the meantime, we are making clear that if a corporation like Hobby Lobby drops coverage of contraceptive services from its health plan, it must do so in the light of day by letting its workers and their families know."

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via