Court Grants Indiana Employer Relief from Contraceptives Mandate

An Indiana company has won temporary court relief from having to provide its employees with coverage for contraceptives and other birth-control procedures, as mandated under the 2010 healthcare overhaul.

By a 2-1 vote, a panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago issued an injunction pending appeal in favor of the Grote family, whose Grote Industries makes vehicle safety systems and has more than 1,100 full-time workers.

Members of the Grote family are Catholic, and opposed including coverage for various contraception and sterilization procedures in a group health insurance plan for their privately-held company, which is based in Madison, Indiana.