The Little Sisters of the Poor, a Roman Catholic order that operates nursing homes, yesterday became the latest group to lose a court battle over the Obama administration’s plan to have health insurance companies directly contact employees about providing contraceptive services.

The plan, released last Friday by a consortium of federal agencies, was crafted in response to the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby decision, which absolves privately held companies with religious objections of the Obamacare mandate that health insurance policies include free contraceptive services. The wraparound forces health insurance companies to offer such services directly to the employees after their employers officially opt out. (Houses of worship are completely exempt from the mandate.)

In the case brought on behalf of The Little Sisters, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals in Denver ruled 2-1 that the wraparound “relieves them [The Little Sisters and other objecting companies] from complicity.”

Similar cases in the 3rd, 5th, 7th and D.C. circuits have also ruled in the administration’s favor.


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