Governor Jerry Brown has signed legislation into law requiring health insurance companies to provide federally approved contraceptives for women and eliminate co-pays by 2016. The legislation was in response to the Hobby Lobby SCOTUS decision.
From sfgate:
Health insurance policies in California will have to cover all federally approved contraceptives for women by 2016 without charging copayments under legislation signed this week by Gov. Jerry Brown, countering trends in other states and the U.S. Supreme Court.
The bill, SB1053 by Sen. Holly Mitchell, D-Los Angeles, expands state laws that required coverage for most birth-control drugs and devices approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The new law mandates coverage for all FDA-approved contraception, prohibits co-payments and includes managed-care Medi-Cal plans, which are not expressly covered by current laws.
The ruling (Hobby Lobby) was based on federal law, not the Constitution, and does not apply to states like California whose laws require insurance coverage for contraception. Current state laws and SB1053 allow churches and other religious institutions to withhold contraceptive coverage, but the exemption does not apply to other employers.
Someone may need to find some fainting couches for the Catholic Church hierarchy. A number of bishops are likely to have a case of the vapors as a result of this law.