DePaul Offers Birth Control in Health Plan

Amid the Republican-led furor over the Obama administration’s requirement that even religious-affiliated employers provide prescription birth control, the nation’s largest Catholic university said this week it covers contraception as part of its health care benefit package.

The 1,800 employee-university covers contraception in both its fully-insured HMO plan and its self-insured PPO. DePaul responded to a complaint from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission several years ago and added artificial contraception as a benefit to its Blue Cross PPO.

DePaul University’s admission seems to contradict the Republican refrain that the contraception requirement, which is part of the Affordable Care Act, is an unprecedented attack on religious freedom. The rule exempts houses of worship and religious nonprofits, but some Catholics say that protection is too narrow.

While the Vatican for the most part opposes contraception, 98 percent of sexually active Catholic women use birth control. The Affordable Care Act provision was modeled on contraceptive coverage requirements already on the books in 28 states, including Illinois. Nonetheless, Obama signaled he may pull out of that policy in the face of mounting GOP opposition.

DePaul, you may remember, also scored dead last on a campus sexual health report card released by Trojan (it was 139 out of 141 last year, too). Contraceptive availability factored into the rankings, so we wonder exactly how the Blue Demons must have irked Trojan — maybe they prefer Durex.

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By Chris Bentley in News on February 10, 2012 10:30 AM 0 Comments

Comments [rss]

JoeChicago

Funny how DePaul hasn't been struck down by God for offering birth control. The way republicans and the church has talked about it you would think if this passes it would be the end of the world.

oonagh1

First, I'd like to thank the Catholic church, and Republicans, for reminding me why I remain a lapsed Catholic. This is complete bullshit, plain and simple. How the Evangelicals and Catholics got so cozy, I have no idea. When I was growing up, I was the lone Catholic kid in a small-town public school class full of Fundamentalists and Evangelicals. I was thought to be a freak who practiced some type of mystical religion. But that's the past.

I find it ironic that the Republicans are couching this is a big government intrusion and a violation of religious freedom but are perfectly fine with taking away my individual right to obtain contraception through my healthcare plan. Who's playing big government now?

I have to wonder, though, if Viagra is offered as part of a Catholic University or hospital's healthcare package. Is that medically necessary? Maybe ED is God's way of saying to give it up. It's his own version of birth control.

ChicagoD

In fairness, it does seem as if ED meds should at least require a sperm viability test . . .

Navin_Johnson

Yeah, I guess it's nice that right wing Christians have gone beyond essentially calling Catholicism a "cult". Strange bedfellows.

ChicagoD

Not so strange. Kind of an inevitable and unfortunate reaction to the movement for equality of women. Reproductive freedom is something they can both agree on. Most of the rest of their theology clashes (pretty dramatically if you actually are one of them, less so if it is all esoterica to you), but on this issue the priests and the pastors see eye to eye.

The interesting difference seems to be the Catholic laity has just moved past the issue. Even among people who go to Mass, send the kids to school, etc. I never hear of this being an issue. At most it is "not the right choice for *us*, but may be for other people." I don't know many evangelicals, but the position seems more grass roots with them. In other words, the bishops either alienate their base, or have them nod, smile and ignore. The pastors seem to get support for this.

Nicholas

As Rachel Maddow said, "If altar boys could get pregnant, the Catholic Church would be all for contraception."

BlueFairlane

I'm not really a fan of Rachel Maddow, but that is funny.

Navin_Johnson

When you think that it's basically male clergy bigwigs vs. 99% of women out there, it's one of the first things that comes to mind.

Navin_Johnson

These requirements have been there for over a decade, back through Bush's two terms and before. This is bullshit, plain and simple.

jcuvs

Though it should be mentioned that neither the student health services center (SAGE) nor the basic additional Aetna student coverage offer birth control coverage or discounts.

ChicagoD

No free rubbers at the student health center? I guess I get that. It's a Catholic institution and all, but sheesh.

McKinley used to give out such huge batches of free rubbers that nobody, I mean nobody could possibly have been getting laid that much. Good water balloons though.