Birth Control Health Center

Employers Ordered to Increase Coverage of Birth Control

continued...

Paul Fronstin, PhD, a senior research associate at the Employee Benefits Research Institute, tells WebMD, "It's hard to make the discrimination argument. A lot of women already have this coverage." He allowed, "The cost of the mandate isn't going to be that high, since most people are already paying for it."

He says, "It's no surprise that employers would fight this, even if it's something that they already offer. Here we are mandating benefits on a voluntary system. It restricts them from taking it away someday ... and it sets another precedent for more rulings like this that will add another layer of costs someday."

The commission rejected cost concern arguments in its decision, saying that discrimination law doesn't give employers a financial excuse as a way out.