The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit has held that a rule devised by the Obama administration allowing nonprofit religious organizations to opt out of the Affordable Care Act's requirement to provide contraceptive coverage does not impose a burden on religion, according to The New York Times.
The Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Roman Catholic nuns, brought the challenge. The accommodation the nuns challenged allows religious employers to opt out of providing the coverage by reporting their objections to their health insurance companies and the administrators of their health plans, or to HHS.
Allowing the nuns to opt out of providing contraceptive coverage does not impose a "substantial burden" on the nuns' exercise of religion, the court said, according to the report. Judge Scott M. Matheson Jr. said opting out of the contraceptive coverage is "as easy as obtaining a parade permit, filing a simple tax form or registering to vote," according to the report.
The 10th Circuit is the fifth federal appeals court to issue an opinion upholding the accommodation.
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