Portion Of ObamaCare On Hold

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says it's confident that the rules requiring free contraceptive coverage under the new health law also address the objections of religious organizations.

The statement comes a day after Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor temporarily blocked the contraceptive requirement from taking effect at the request of an organization of Catholic nuns in Denver.

Government officials now have until 10 a.m., Eastern time, on Friday to respond to the order. A decision on whether to make the temporary injunction permanent or dissolve it will probably not be made before then.

Under the health care law, most insurance plans have to cover contraceptives as preventive care for women. That means the coverage is provided free of charge. Churches are exempt, but affiliated institutions that serve the general public are not.

An outcry from religious groups led the administration to craft a compromise. Insurers or health plan administrators must provide the coverage, and the religious institution itself isn't responsible. But that didn't satisfy some critics. And Catholic-affiliated groups from around the nation went to court in hopes of delaying the requirements.