Religious Exemptions Hold Key to LGBTQ Health Bias Shield’s Fate

A Biden administration effort to shore up health-care nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ people is all but certain to wind up in court, but could be protected from being overturned because of its process to allow for religious conscience exemptions, attorneys said.

The Affordable Care Act’s Section 1557, which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability by entities that primarily provide health care and receive federal funding, has been one of the most controversial parts of the landmark health-care law.

Regulations seeking to implement Section 1557 from both the Obama and Trump administrations are ...