They Need to Hear From You

Deadline Approaching for Public Comment on Controversial Rules

 

  On August 3, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services issued controversial new rules.  Concerned people have until September 30, 2011 to submit comments on these rules.

These rules include the following requirements:

• All new insurance plans must cover all contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, such as Ella, Plan B and RU486.

• Individuals and insurers who find these morally objectionable will be forced to pay for them.

• Conscience protections promised by President Obama’s Executive Order and current conscience laws have been ignored.

• The religious exemption is so narrow that it will exclude most religious health care providers; for example, Catholic hospitals will only qualify if they stop hiring and serving non-Catholics.

Local pro-life organization Lake County Right to Life is urging its members to contact HHS.  However, organization President Bonnie Quirke stressed, “This is not just a pro-life issue.  This move by HHS should alarm any person concerned about protecting the right to freedom of conscience.”

Comments can be submitted in the following ways:

Electronically at http://www.regulations.gov/#!documentDetail;D=HHS-OS-2011-0023-0002

By regular mail to: 

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Department of Health and Human Services

Attention:  CMS-9992-IFC2

P.O. Box 8010

Baltimore, MD 21244-8010

Please allow enough time for mail to be received before September 30.

For Express or overnight mail, send to:

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services

Department of Health and Human Services

Attention:  CMS-9992-IFC2, Mail Stop C4-26-05

7500 Security Boulevard

Baltimore, MD 21244-1850

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