California says two Catholic universities must pay for abortion
The California Department of Managed Health Care has denied requests by two Catholic religious universities—Loyola Marymount University (LMU) and Santa Clara University (SCU)—to opt out of abortion services provided to their employees through their designated health care plans.
Last Friday, the Department notified seven insurance companies that any requests for exemption from “medically necessary” abortions are prohibited by the California state Constitution and a 1975 state law.
This comes as a surprise to both universities, who were told by their insurance companies—Anthem Blue Cross and Kaiser Permanente—that their requests had been cleared by the state.
Last fall, both universities notified their employees that they planned to discontinue paying for the services. However, employees could pay for supplemental coverage through a third party provider if they desired....
