Now half a year since the opening of the 2016 Obamacare enrollment period, new state abortion mandates are just coming to light in New York. The Catholic Diocese of Albany and 12 other entities who have deeply-held objections to abortion were recently informed they had been covering elective abortions, unbeknownst to them, in their employer insurance plans under two state abortion mandates.
Earlier this month, the 13 groups – including Baptist, Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran churches, Catholic Charities agencies, a privately held organization and an employee of a religious organization – sued the New York State department that issues and enforces health insurance regulations as well as each of the plaintiffs’ respective insurance companies. According to the lawsuit, the state department and companies failed to notify them prior to the policy change as required by state statute. In response, they are seeking enjoinment of the mandates and the court’s judgment that the mandates violate the U.S. Constitution and New York law.