Supreme Court upholds ACA’s preventive care mandate
The Supreme Court on Friday voted to preserve the requirement that insurers cover medical imaging and other preventive healthcare services.
Justices voted 6-3, with conservatives Brett Kavanaugh, John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett siding with their three liberal counterparts.
Physician and patient lobbying groups commended the court’s ruling on Friday.
“This Supreme Court decision is a positive step sought by both Republican and Democrat administrations,” American College of Radiology CEO Dana H. Smetherman, MD, MBA, said in a statement Friday. “It protects full insurance coverage—with no copay—of many cancer screening exams and other preventive care. The ACR applauds the decision and will continue to promote policies that support greater access to lifesaving care.”
“This decision is a monumental win for public health and a critical safeguard for the 150 million Americans who depend on no-cost preventive care,” patient advocacy group Susan G. Komen said in statement. “Access to screening mammograms, genetic testing, and risk-reducing medications saves lives. Today, the court affirmed that everyone deserves a fair chance at early detection and preventive care.”
The decision was a long time coming
The court’s decision was in the long-running battle between Braidwood Management Inc. et al v. Robert Kennedy Jr. et al (formerly v. Xavier Becerra). Two years ago, a U.S. District Court in Texas ruled that insurers do not have to cover the full cost of preventive services, a decision that was upheld a year ago on appeal. The case eventually wound up in the nation’s highest court, with arguments first starting in April.
Christian business owners and individuals who filed the lawsuit in 2020 had claimed the ACA requirement violates their religious rights by forcing them to cover preventive drugs for HIV, among other things. Plaintiffs also have contended that members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force act as officers of the country but were not properly selected in accordance with the Constitution’s Appointments Clause. The Justice Department, meanwhile, argued that USPSTF members don’t require such approval because they can be removed by the appointed HHS secretary, the AP noted.
Experts previously emphasized that not all preventive care services were threatened by the case, according to the report. A 2023 analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation indicated that a win in favor of the plaintiffs only would apply to services endorsed by the USPSTF after March 2010, when Obamacare went into effect. This would spare cost-free mammography and cervical cancer screenings in the case.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.