In a controversial move we are sure to hear more about over the next year, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has clarified a provision in the Affordable Care Act that is being watched closely by many religious institutions. The legislation requires health insurance policies to cover contraception for women. In a decision announced by the Administration yesterday, religious institutions will not be exempt from the requirement to provide such coverage to employees, though they will receive an additional year to comply with the rule.

Officials said the administration’s ruling was carefully considered, after reviewing more than 200,000 comments from interested parties and the public. The one-year extension, they said, responds to concerns raised by religious employers about making adjustments. Administration officials stressed that individual decisions about whether or not to use birth control, and what kind, remain in the hands of women and their doctors.

You can read the Secretary's statement here. The rule is likely to be challenged in court on religious liberty grounds. Stay tuned.