This comes as a major surprise to me. I guess it must be hard hiring low wage women who are willing to pay for their own contraceptives. Either that, or the Church has decided that the number of people they will lose by covering contraceptives is lower than the number they will lose by refusing to cover them.

Chalk one up for the grass-roots.

https://www.sltrib.com/religion/2023/01/28/last-lds-church-employees-get/

From the article:

Starting in February, birth control will be covered under health insurance for employees of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a decision many are celebrating as both a grassroots victory and one that brings the financial policy more in line with the faith’s teachings on family planning.

After all, the Utah-based faith, while encouraging husbands and wives “who are able to bear children” to do so, nonetheless leaves birth control decisions up to couples.

Deseret Mutual Benefit Administrators — the company that insures church employees, including faculty and staff at all Brigham Young University campuses, and one of the Beehive State’s largest employers — announced the change in an email to customers Jan. 26.
Founded by the church in 1970, DMBA describes itself on its website as a “private, nonprofit trust” tasked with managing church employee benefits.

Coverage, its notice specified, will include oral contraceptives, contraceptive patches, vaginal rings, intrauterine devices (IUDs) and injectable contraceptives. Emergency contraception, such as morning-after pills, will remain uncovered.

Surgical sterilization, meanwhile, will stay uncovered except
in certain cases, among them being the mother is 40 or older and/ or has already had five pregnancies or live births.

As with most insurers, male condoms are not covered.

When asked why the change occurred now — after decades of clients lobbying for it — a DMBA spokesperson, attorney Scott Eastmond,

simply said that “DMBA regularly reviews medical benefits and coverages and periodically makes changes in response to a variety of factors.”
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The remainder of the article covers the grassroots lobbying for the change, that went on for years. LDS Inc is basically a male echo chamber, so the change took a long time.

We were on DMBA the whole time my dh was a prof at BYU. Believe me, it was a hardship trying to cover that expense.

When I had a scare in the late 80's and thought I was pregnant after having 4 children, I soon sought out a tubal ligation. Around my 40th birthday, I had the procedure. I was quite certain it was covered but after reading this article I am now not sure. At any rate, it is about damn time DMBA is now covering birth control! It is 2023 for pete's sakes!

Wow. I didn't realize that they were withholding it before. Birth control medications are essential for multiple health issues, not just preventing pregnancy. I can't believe how they get to decide which types are OK and under what circumstances.

Let me guess. Viagra has always been covered.

Health care should not be under the control of religious employers or corporations, but that's a whole different can of worms.

Health care should not be under control of employers, period. What the hell does medical insurance have to do with your job? The time you need it the most is when you get laid off.

At least COBRA changed it so that you could keep your medical insurance for some months after losing your job, even though you would have to pay for it, a challenge when you are without a job. Still, better than losing your insurance altogether at the worst possible time.

I agree with you. I would like to see nationalized health care.

COBRA is a joke for many working people. It was always completely unaffordable to me -- far beyond anything I could reasonably afford.

Exactly. Places of employment WANT to hold employees hostage with health insurance.

I think having the head of the church be a former MD may have put a thumb on the scale.

I've received several invitations to apply in recent years of faculty/staff openings at BYU in my major. I wonder if that may have also been a thumb on the scale - inability to hire faculty at church universities.

They obviously knew that if they wanted you, they'd have to accommodate your extensive extracurricular life.

Oh, I am 100% positive I would not have made it through the qualifying round. I just happen to be on a mailing list. They don't even call me begging for money anymore.

When in my youth I thought it would be cool and spiritually uplifting to work for the church.

Then came my mission and its experiences. Then I watched as my Uncle (a very accomplished professional), was black balled by his church co-workers, even into his personal employement. He finally left the State, to get away from the results of his former church co-workers. He was a super dedicated TBM.

I remember taking a months worth of food to him and my aunt because the church would not give him assistance or help while still living is the SLC area, but he stayed loyal to his death.

I am glad for those expeiences, I cannot imagine where I would be, if I had ever followed through on my youthful desire.

The last prophet I heard say don’t put off having children was Spencer W Kimball. Now the church leadership leaves it up to the members to decide. Heck our bishop said he thought us putting off having children until I was out of college was a good idea. Some things just die with the previous generation.

I think they are forgetting what their right hand is holding as in their proclamation and the left had is contradicting it with insurance money. But this is progress.

I think vasectomies are still a no no.

No tubal ligations for women unless they are 40+ AND have had five pregnancies/live births? Count them: 1, 2, 3, 4 5.

Wowza.

Wow indeed. How very offensive it is that the church would try to micromanage even that.

Thanks for flagging the issue.

So do all members get this coverage?

Hey, what about me?...Can't I get it too?.....this is crap.