Claire McCaskill Backtracking on Obamacare Mandate

On Tuesday, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that Democratic senator Claire McCaskill stood firmly behind the Obama administration's decision that private insurance plans, including those of religiously affiliated institutions, must cover contraception and abortifacients. "I think any religion should be able to profess their beliefs as to whether or not people should be able to use birth control," McCaskill said. "But ultimately this decision doesn't impact their ability to do that. It just says, as part of the health care policy, there should be access to birth control."

But Politico reports that the Missouri senator, who just so happens to be up for reelection this year, is now calling for a "compromise" on the mandate:

“There’s time to get this worked out in a way that respects religious freedom, but also makes sure that women can get birth control,” McCaskill told reporters. “I’m hoping that they will find a compromise where there would be notice or riders or some way that we could get there.”

McCaskill said several Senate Democrats raised the issue at Wednesday’s retreat, at which President Barack Obama spoke.

“A number of people said it in different ways yesterday,” she said Thursday.