Republicans stay quiet on new health law rules related to birth control coverage

But a group of state legislators has raised concerns about the measure's CLASS Act.

Politico: Health Care Reform Rules Have GOP Mum
Republicans who swept to power last year vowing to repeal President Barack Obama's health care law have been nearly silent about new rules that will force health insurance companies to cover birth control and other women's health services without co-pays. The new standards are a piece of the law Republicans might predictably oppose: a coverage mandate at the intersection of Americans' most personal lives. But a week after the rules were announced, most Republicans have stayed mum, with Hill leaders laying off press releases and declining to comment when asked directly (Titus, 8/9).

The Hill: States Raise Concerns With New Insurance Program In Health Care Law
State legislators are concerned that a new program in the health care reform law will reopen a series of problems that states tackled years ago. The National Conference of Insurance Legislators is worried about the law's new long-term-care insurance program, known as CLASS. NCOIL President George Keiser, a Republican state lawmaker in North Dakota, said the group is worried that the U.S. Health and Human Services Department eventually will have to raise premiums for the CLASS program significantly, driving people away from buying long-term-care insurance (Baker, 8/8).