St. Louis, Mo., Aug 1, 2023 / 08:45 am
The Biden administration is expected to pay $65,000 after attempting in 2021 to exclude fertility awareness-based family planning methods, a form of natural family planning, from health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act.
The faith-based legal organization Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) announced July 27 that a federal court has ordered the Biden administration to pay $65,000 in attorneys’ fees for violating regulatory laws when it attempted to end insurance coverage for fertility awareness methods, leaving women with only coverage for contraceptive and abortifacient drugs and devices.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) had in December 2021, without explanation, removed “fertility awareness-based methods” (FABM) from the list of “preventative care and screenings” covered under the Affordable Care Act. The language allowing FABM had been in place since 2016.
Attorneys with ADF filed a lawsuit in May 2022 on behalf of Cami Jo Tice-Harouff, a Texas nurse practitioner, and her patients against HHS and its leadership. Tice-Harouff, who holds a doctorate in nursing practice and is a member of the Catholic Medical Association, instructs patients in FABM, the lawsuit said, and is reimbursed through insurance about $350-$400 each session.