House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) released the following statement today on the Supreme Court's decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby:
"It is very disappointing that the Supreme Court today delivered a setback to women's health care across the country by allowing certain corporations to withhold the full range of health care options available to them under the law. This will mean higher out-of-pocket costs for women seeking to access contraceptive care, and it sets a broad and dangerous precedent imposing employers' personal religious beliefs onto their employees and allowing corporations to exempt themselves from adherence to a range of federal laws by arguing a religious objection.
"As one of 91 Members of Congress who filed an amicus brief in this case, I made clear in January my strong belief that the Affordable Care Act's contraceptive coverage requirement does not violate business owners' free exercise of their religious beliefs, as it does not force them to provide contraceptives or promote their use -- it simply requires them to provide their employees with health insurance coverage so they can make their own health care decisions.
"It is now up to the federal government to take action to ensure that women who work for closely held corporations exempted by this ruling can still access comprehensive care without paying out-of-pocket. Democrats in the House will continue to fight on behalf of America's women to ensure they have affordable access to the full range of health care options and retain the right to make those decisions without interference from their employers."