Trump administration's birth control coverage rules now blocked nationwide

A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration's new rules allowing more employers to opt out of offering workers no-cost birth control from going into effect in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

As part of the Affordable Care Act, employer insurance plans have to include free contraceptives; religious groups are exempt, but the new rules would give more employers, including schools and nonprofits, the chance to opt out. On Sunday, a judge ruled there are "serious questions" about whether this violates the ACA, and he temporarily blocked the rules in 13 states and D.C.

Pennsylvania also sued the administration, and on Monday, U.S. District Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia wrote that if enforced, the rules could cause harm to states, and issued a nationwide injunction. "The negative effects of even a short period of decreased access to no-cost contraceptive services are irreversible," she said.

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