The Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine was encouraged by President Obama’s announcement Friday that church-affiliated institutions will not have to include coverage for contraception in their employees’ health insurance plans, as had been required under health care reforms enacted in 2010.

But the diocese is not ready to say it’s completely satisfied by Obama’s proposal to have insurance companies cover contraception costs when religious employers refuse.

Bishop Richard Malone, in a prepared statement, called Obama’s decision “a first step in the right direction.” He added that “religious liberty, as guaranteed by the First Amendment, may need to be reinforced through further legislation.”

Malone’s statement echoed comments from national leaders. Cardinal-designate Timothy Dolan of New York, the head of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops and a fierce critic of the original rule covering hospitals and other employers, said the bishops were reserving judgment but that Obama’s move was a good first step.

Planned Parenthood, a prominent women’s health organization, said Obama had reaffirmed his commitment to birth control coverage. The group’s president, Cecile Richards, added, though, that it would be monitoring for “rigorous, fair and consistent” enforcement so women get the promised coverage.

Obama’s vow to give all women access to free contraception through his health care reforms sparked a heated national debate Jan. 20, when the decision was announced to exempt only churches and other houses of worship from the requirement that employers must cover free contraception. Religious-affiliated employers, including schools, hospitals and charities, were given an extra year to comply, but that concession didn’t do enough.

Religious groups called for the reversal of the requirement, which they said violated their religious freedom and would force them to act against their beliefs.

Under the plan announced Friday, religious-affiliated employers will not have to offer contraception and will not have to refer their employees to places that provide it. If an employer opts out of the requirement, its insurance company must provide birth control for free in a separate arrangement with workers who want it.

Obama said Friday that he awarded the extension to give time to address the concerns of religious groups, but that wasn’t an option once the issue became “a political football,” referring to resulting attacks on him by Republicans, including presidential hopefuls.

Because of the backlash, Obama said, the administration “needed to move this faster,” which led to Friday’s announcement.

The Portland-based diocese had sent a notice to churches earlier this week, meant for dissemination at Sunday’s Mass, asking members to write to their congressional representatives urging them to overturn the Jan. 20 provision.

The diocese had no plan Friday to write a new notice, in light of Obama’s announcement, but “perhaps we’d be looking at things a little differently now,” said Marc Mutty, public affairs director for the Maine diocese.

Twenty-eight states, including Maine, already require employers to cover contraception in their health insurance plans, and all but eight of them exempt churches. Mutty said Maine’s law exempts both religious schools and churches. But other groups that want to be exempted, such as charities and hospitals, have to be self-insured, which means they’re regulated by federal law.

Mutty, who found out about the compromise through text messages he received Friday morning, said he wasn’t surprised that Obama came forward with a new proposal.

“It was my hunch that he would be in a position that he would have to do something,” Mutty said.

Still, the compromise might not go far enough for the diocese. Even though insurance companies would pay for contraception, church-affiliated employers would be enabling its use by giving health insurance to employees, Mutty said. The diocese hasn’t come down on whether it’s comfortable with being just one step removed, he said.

“We really feel a need to have the proposal before us so we can fully analyze it,” said Mutty.

The health insurance industry voiced concern that putting the burden on them could set a precedent of shifting cost its way. The insurance companies will weigh in later as Obama’s new policy undergoes review, said Robert Zirkelbach, spokesman for the America’s Health Insurance Plans trade group.

Administration officials say providing birth control won’t cost insurers any more in the long run, because it’s less expensive than the costs of maternity care and delivery. But insurers say they’ll have to pay drug companies for pills and doctors for prescriptions, so it won’t be free to them. The costs probably will be passed on to policyholders, as is happening already with other requirements of the health care law, such as allowing young adults to stay under their parents’ coverage until age 26.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Staff Writer Leslie Bridgers can be contacted at: 791-6364 or at

lbridgers@pressherald.com