Trump's Rules Allowing More Employers To Opt Out Of Covering Contraception Get Day In Court

The rules, which are set to go into effect Monday, relax requirements under the health law that birth control services be covered at no additional cost. California is challenging in court the new guidelines that would allow more categories of employers, including publicly traded companies, to back out of the requirement by claiming religious objections. Meanwhile, lawmakers clash over a rule that would change how individuals are billed for abortion coverage.

A U.S. judge will hear arguments Friday over California's attempt to block new rules by the Trump administration that would allow more employers to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women. Judge Haywood Gilliam previously blocked an interim version of those rules — a decision that was upheld in December by an appeals court. But the case is before him again after the administration finalized the measures in November, prompting a renewed legal challenge by California and other states. (1/11)

Senate Democrats and Republicans at odds over a proposed rule that would change how individuals are billed for abortion coverage sent two competing letters to Health and Human Services this week. The public comment period for the rule closed Tuesday, amassing over 74,000 comments.The Republican letter, led by Mississippi Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith, urges HHS Secretary Alex Azar to move forward with the rule. (Raman, 1/10)

And in other women's health and abortion news —

With Kentucky embroiled in three abortion-related court cases and lawmakers considering tougher restrictions almost certain to draw a legal challenge, a leading Republican senator said Thursday that he hopes the state’s actions lead to a Supreme Court review of the Roe v. Wade ruling. Anti-abortion lawmakers hope to push more abortion-related bills through the legislature — led by a proposed ban on most abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, which occurs around six weeks of pregnancy. The state already is defending three abortion-related laws in court, and the American Civil Liberties Union says it will challenge the fetal heartbeat bill if it becomes law. (Schreiner, 1/10)

When Kirstin Herbst found out she was pregnant last winter, she and her fiancé were overjoyed. But when she went to the doctor for her first ultrasound, she found out she was having a miscarriage. Her doctor prescribed a medication called misoprostol, which helps the miscarriage to pass. But the misoprostol didn't work right away, and Herbst needed to take another dose. Herbst was optimistic when she became pregnant again this past summer. When she went in for an ultrasound, she learned she was miscarrying again. (Gordon and McCammon, 1/10)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.

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