Poll: 66 percent of Americans agree with HHS birth control decision

According to a recent Kaiser Health Tracking Poll conducted by Public Opinion and Survey Research Program, 66 percent of Americans agree with the federal government’s recent decision to include birth control in its list of preventative services. #

The Department of Health and Human services recently included contraception in a list of preventive care under the Affordable Care Act. Because of this decision, women will have their birth control covered by their insurance without co-payments. #

The recent poll finds that “two-thirds of Americans (66%) say they support the recent decision by the Department of Health and Human Services to require health insurance plans to pay for the full cost of birth control and other preventive services for women under the new law, and 24 percent of the public oppose the decision.” #

The Catholic Church has been the most outspoken opponent of the decision. Catholic hospitals, Catholic Bishops and Catholic medical providers have expressed their disapproval. Catholic groups claim that the federal agency’s provision allowing religious institutions that offer insurance to their employees the choice of whether or not to cover contraception services is “too limited.” #