The Supreme Court has declined to see any new challenges by religiously affiliated not-for-profit groups to the new health care law's provision on birth control coverage, according to Reuters.
Lawsuits filed by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and others are making their way through the courts, but the justices on Monday declined to weigh in on them before any federal appeals court has reached a final decision, Reuters reported.
The legal issue is different from one involving for-profit companies that also object on religious grounds to the so-called contraception mandate, which was argued before the high court last week, according to Reuters.
The Obamacare law requires employers to provide health insurance policies that cover preventive services for women, including contraception and sterilization, Reuters reported.
The act makes an exception for religious institutions such as houses of worship that mainly serve and employ members of their own faith, but not for schools, hospitals and charitable organizations that employ people of all faiths, according to Reuters.
The compromise attempts to create a buffer for religiously affiliated hospitals, universities and social service groups that oppose birth control, Reuters reported.
The Obama administration has devised a compromise to the law's requirement that contraception be included in health plans' preventive services for women, according to Reuters. Their insurers or the health plan's outside administrator would pay for birth control coverage and creates a way to reimburse them.
The Supreme Court's decision not to hear the two cases at this stage means that the federal appeals court in Washington will proceed to decide the issue, Reuters reported. If the groups lose, they would have another chance to seek Supreme Court review.
Courts across the country have granted the groups injunctions which prevent the administration from enforcing the mandate during the litigation, according to Reuters.
