Judge Sides With Urbana Company Fighting Contraceptive Coverage

A federal judge has ruled that a small Urbana company doesn't have to offer birth control coverage as part of its employees' health insurance plan. In a two-page order, U.S. District Judge Ellen Segal Huvelle said the federal government couldn't require Urbana-based Johnson Welded Products to include the coverage as part of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul. The order was issued late last week. It was expected after the Supreme Court ruled in June that some companies with religious objections can avoid the contraceptives requirement in the Affordable Care Act. The family-owned Ohio company had resisted offering contraceptive coverage, citing religious objections. The ruling follows a U.S. Supreme Court decision that small, family-held companies cannot be forced to offer contraceptive coverage that violates their religious beliefs.