r/HealthInsurance • u/sweetbabycoconut • Jul 28 '25

Employer/COBRA Insurance Insurance doesn’t cover contraceptives because they said they’re a Christian-based organization

i use birth control to stop my periods and when i called my insurance to check for coverage this morning they said they don’t cover contraceptives for religious reasons

the estimate from my provider is around $2000 without insurance so just double-checking about alternative routes i can take given that information

insurance is from virginia mason hospital & they switched to bcbsil from first choice this year if that’s relevant

25 in wa with a $25 wage

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122

u/JessterJo Jul 28 '25

Hey, also work for VM. The issue is the merger with CommonSpirit. Hormonal birth control is covered through BCBSIL due to a Federal law. Contact them or check your portal.

19

u/Actual-Government96 Jul 28 '25

I was going to say...religious since when?!

20

u/JessterJo Jul 28 '25

It a PITA, but it was fiscally impossible to stay independent. As it is, we're one of many hospitals in the area that haven't broken even since before Covid.

We were told we would remain a non-religious hospital, but they've been chipping away at that.

22

u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy Jul 28 '25

There are so many hospital mergers / acquisitions across the country with religion-based hospitals. Just evil.

8

u/ConsistentWitness217 Jul 28 '25

How are religious hospitals so much more persistent than non religious hospitals?

19

u/STEMpsych Jul 28 '25 edited Jul 29 '25

Interesting question. I have a bunch of theories, but I think it's relevant that it's not religious hospitals in general that are so much more persistent than non-religious ones, it's specifically a chain of Catholic hospitals which are so persistent. Might have something to do with the Catholic church having deep pockets, might have something to do with the Catholic church having a cultural tradition of long-range planning which beats the pants off short-sighted private-equity backed hospitals. Maybe it's just the Sisters of Mercy (the religious order behind CommonSpirit) are just ballers (other Catholic hospitals have themselves succumbed to PE acquisition and are effectively no longer Catholic hospitals despite what it says on the sign outside.)

6

u/ConsistentWitness217 Jul 28 '25

If it's the Roman Catholic church, then I understand. They do indeed have very very deep pockets - over a millennia of compounding interest and global investments. One of the biggest funds - if not the biggest - in the history of mankind.

1

u/Seymour---Butz Jul 29 '25

And it can only be some Catholic hospitals, let’s not use too broad of a brush. I got my IUD at a “Catholic hospital.”

8

u/CrankyCrabbyCrunchy Jul 28 '25

Not paying taxes gives them more $$ to buy up other facilities. In some counties where I am they’ve bought every single medical facility.

8

u/ConsistentWitness217 Jul 28 '25

That's very unfortunate. Countless lives are held hostage by ancient theology.

2

u/andthisnowiguess Jul 29 '25

Same with Swedish :/

2

u/Actual-Government96 Jul 29 '25

Yep, Providence is buying up everything.