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Trump Urges End to Suit Against Contraception-Coverage Opt-Out

Trump Urges End to Suit Against Contraception-Coverage Opt-Out

(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. government asked a judge to throw out a lawsuit by two Democrat-led states challenging a Trump administration policy allowing companies with religious or moral objections to opt out of an Obamacare rule mandating employee health-care plans include free birth-control services.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey can’t sue because the states haven’t been harmed by the exemption policy finalized in November, and “allegations of possible future injury do not suffice,” the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said in a filing Thursday in federal court in Philadelphia.

In January, the judge overseeing the case issued a nationwide injunction blocking the policy until the case is resolved. Churches and religious groups continue to be exempt from the Affordable Care Act requirement.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Larson in New York at elarson4@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: David Glovin at dglovin@bloomberg.net, Steve Stroth

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