"This document withdraws a notice of proposed rulemaking that appeared in the Federal Register on February 2, 2023, regarding coverage of certain preventive services under the [ACA]....

"[Those proposed rules] sought to resolve long-running litigation with regard to religious objections to providing contraceptive coverage, by respecting the objecting entities' religious objections while also ensuring that women enrolled in plans or coverage sponsored, arranged, or offered by objecting entities could independently obtain contraceptive services at no cost. The proposed rules would have rescinded the regulation providing for an exemption based on non-religious moral objections. The proposed rules would also have established a new individual contraceptive arrangement that individuals in plans or coverage subject to a religious exemption could use to obtain contraceptive services at no cost directly from a provider or facility that furnishes contraceptive services, without any involvement on the part of an objecting entity....

"The Departments have determined it appropriate to withdraw the proposed rules at this time to focus their time and resources on matters other than finalizing these rules. ... [S]hould the Departments decide in the future that it is a priority to move forward with a rulemaking in this area, the Departments want to ensure that they will have the benefit of the most up-to-date facts and information on these important issues as the Departments consider how to best implement the contraceptive coverage requirements ... while respecting religious objections to contraception. For these independently sufficient reasons, the Departments are withdrawing the proposed rules, and may propose new rules in the future, as appropriate to meet these goals."  MORE >>