WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Obama administration is giving church-affiliated institutions an extra year to comply with a new rule that employers cover birth control free of charge through their health plans.
The announcement Friday by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius does not apply to houses of worship. Churches, synagogues and mosques are already exempt from the new requirement in President Barack Obama's health overhaul.
It says employers must cover contraceptives free of charge as preventive care for women.
Instead, the extension applies to church-affiliated hospitals, universities, social service organizations and similar institutions. They will now have until August 1, 2013, to comply.
Catholic hospitals were seeking an exemption from the new rule. But Sebelius said the decision strikes a balance between respecting religious freedom and increasing access to important preventive care.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)