President Obama on Friday announced changes to a rule requiring religious employers to include free preventive services for women, including contraceptive services, in all health insurance plans.

The rule was announced last month but came under criticism from those who said it was an infringement on religious freedom.

Under the new policy, women will have free preventive care, including contraceptive services, no matter where they work. If a woman works for a religious employer with objections to providing contraceptive services as part of its health plan, the religious employer will not be required to provide contraception coverage. However, the woman's insurance company will be required to offer contraceptive care free of charge.

According to the White House, the new policy ensures women can get contraception without paying a co-pay and addresses important concerns raised by religious groups by ensuring that objecting religious employers will not have to provide contraceptive coverage or refer women to organizations that provide contraception.

The Affordable Care Act required the administration to adopt new guidelines that will require most private health plans to cover preventive services for women without charging a co-pay starting Aug. 1. These preventive services include well-woman visits, domestic violence screening and contraception, and all were recommended to the Department of Health and Human Services by the Institute of Medicine.

The final rule, as announced last month and Friday, exempts churches, other houses of worship and similar organizations from covering contraception on the basis of their religious objections. For other religious organizations, such as church-affiliated schools and hospitals, a one-year transition period is in effect until August 2013 for those organizations to implement the policy.

Friday's adjustment requires insurance companies to cover contraception if the non-exempted religious organization chooses not to do so.

Religious organizations will not have to provide contraceptive coverage or refer their employees to organizations that provide contraception. Religious organizations also will not be required to subsidize the cost of contraception in any way.

Contraceptive coverage will be offered to women directly by their employers' insurance companies, with no role for religious employers who oppose contraception. Insurance companies will be required to provide contraception coverage to these women free of charge.

"Today, nearly 99% of all women have used contraception at some point in their lives, but more than half of all women between the ages of 18 and 34 struggle to afford it," according to a White House fact sheet.