The three-system merger planned in Kentucky may change employee benefits, with thousands of employees paying out of pocket for reproductive services that conflict with Catholic health rules, according to a Courier-Journal report.
Health plans at Jewish Hospital and University Hospital, both in Louisville, Ky., have covered birth control and sterilization for employees. Plans at Lexington, Ky.-based St. Joseph Health System have not, given its Catholic status.
Hospital officials have not yet provided specifics on health insurance under the merger, but the report said previous mergers have shown "that insurance is often limited when secular hospitals merge with Catholic ones." St. Joseph Health System is slated to be the dominant partner in the merger.
In the news report, Kentucky Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville), a retired nurse who formerly worked for Jewish Hospital and the University of Louisville, voiced opposition to the change in coverage. "Ninety-percent of women at some point use contraception," she said. "Why make women pay more? Why let religion dictate whether or not someone who works for them gets these services covered?"
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Health plans at Jewish Hospital and University Hospital, both in Louisville, Ky., have covered birth control and sterilization for employees. Plans at Lexington, Ky.-based St. Joseph Health System have not, given its Catholic status.
Hospital officials have not yet provided specifics on health insurance under the merger, but the report said previous mergers have shown "that insurance is often limited when secular hospitals merge with Catholic ones." St. Joseph Health System is slated to be the dominant partner in the merger.
In the news report, Kentucky Rep. Mary Lou Marzian (D-Louisville), a retired nurse who formerly worked for Jewish Hospital and the University of Louisville, voiced opposition to the change in coverage. "Ninety-percent of women at some point use contraception," she said. "Why make women pay more? Why let religion dictate whether or not someone who works for them gets these services covered?"
Related Articles on the Kentucky Merger:
Role of Jewish Hospital in Kentucky's Catholic Merger QuestionedKentucky's Baptist Hospital East to Take Over Tubal Ligations so University Hospital Can Abide by Catholic Directives
Kentucky AG Rules University Hospital is Public; Could Affect Merger