Gonzaga changes health-insurance policy for pregnant women after complaints
Gonzaga University has changed its health-insurance policy after a nonprofit law firm alleged the school was illegally denying maternity care to dependents of employees.
The Washington, D.C.-based National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) filed complaints against Gonzaga and three other institutions that receive federal funding in June 2013, claiming they violated the Affordable Care Act by refusing to provide prenatal care to some women. The law firm said Thursday that each institution has changed its policy in response to the complaints.
“Pregnancy coverage is an essential insurance benefit for women, and to omit it from coverage is sex discrimination, pure and simple,” the NWLC said. “The Affordable Care Act makes sex discrimination in health-insurance coverage illegal.”
The Office for Civil Rights, a division of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, closed its investigations into the complaints Jan. 19, the last full day of President Obama’s presidency.
Read more: http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/gonzaga-changes-health-insurance-policy-for-pregnant-women-after-complaints/
