Patients May Cover Costs After Judge Overrules ACA’s Free Preventive Care Offerings
A federal judge on Thursday overturned part of the Affordable Care Act, which provides free preventative services, such as some cancer screenings and some medicines, to registrants. The decision could impact policyholder health care costs across the country, but the decision is expected to be challenged in court.
Statistics: Texas judge violates Obamacare provision on preventive health care
A federal judge Thursday overturned a major Obamacare provision that called for plans to cover preventive care, from cancer and chronic disease screenings to pregnancy care and certain medications. The ruling could deal a heavy blow to President Joe Biden’s moonshot goal of slashing cancer rates through early screening. Insurers can also deny coverage for statins, the drug that prevents HIV infection known as PrEP, and various health checks recommended by federal authorities. It could also ultimately threaten the Biden administration’s efforts to reduce maternal and infant mortality and strengthen reproductive rights following the overthrow of Low. (Owermore, 3/30)
NBC News: Judge voids Obamacare provision that requires insurers to cover some preventive health services
In the ruling, District Judge Reed O’Connor referred to his earlier ruling on the structure of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, created under Obamacare to help determine the scope of preventive services, which It stated that the Constitution’s appointment clause was violated, and therefore the related preventive health order was illegal. (Shabad, 3/30)
Politico: Texas judge voids free HIV drugs, cancer screening under Obamacare
Employers and individuals had stand to sue, Judge O’Connor wrote. Employers argued that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s recommendations could not be enforced because its members were private health professionals advising the government, not government employees. (Orstein, 3/30)
KHN: Judge’s decision makes some free cancer screenings a thing of the past
It is almost certain that there will be appeals from both sides. Conservative groups, who filed lawsuits and wanted a wider decision, and the Biden administration, which supports the ACA. … Now the Department of Justice must decide whether to seek an emergency order suspending judgment during the appeals process. (Appleby and Andrews, 3/30)
Reaction to the verdict —
Reuters: US judge blocks Obamacare mandate for some cancer screenings, PrEP.
Major medical groups criticized the decision. Jack Lesneck, president of the American Medical Association, said it was “seriously flawed” and that it would result in patients being “exposed to unnecessary illness and preventable death.” American Cancer Lisa Lacus, president of the association’s Cancer Action Network, said the ruling has “huge implications” and could make it more difficult to detect treatable cancers early. I can’t stress enough how important screening is for the early detection of cancer,” she said. (Pearson, 3/30)
Modern Healthcare: The Healthcare Industry Reacts to Preventive Medicine Rulings
The American Hospital Association, the American Hospital Federation and America’s Essential Hospitals declined to comment. Below is a partial statement released in response to the court’s ruling. (Turner, 3/30)
When will my coverage change? —
Axios: No big changes in insurance yet
Thursday’s federal court ruling against the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services requirement won’t make a drastic change to employer-sponsored health care. It said there could be new costs for the roughly 100 million privately insured people who use it. The big picture: The ruling immediately removed legal requirements for free compensation for certain skin and lung cancer screenings, heart disease statins, drugs to prevent HIV, and other services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. , writes Adriel Bettelheim of Axios. (Reed, 3/31)
The New York Times: Federal judge voids Obamacare requirement for free preventive care
The ruling, which is in the form of a nationwide injunction, will take effect immediately, said Lawrence O. Gostin, a health policy expert at Georgetown University who has followed the case. It will affect a long list of preventive care services, including services such as heart screening, Pap smears and smoking cessation services. I can’t afford it,” Gostin said, with basic primary health services out of reach. (Stolberg and Abelson, 3/30)
AP: Judge’s ruling undermines preventive medicine in US health law
Experts warn that insurers are unlikely to stop coverage immediately. The Biden administration was expected to appeal and seek a stay of judgment. “While this is unlikely to be a fatal blow to the ACA in the way that previous lawsuits have been, it will limit the very popular benefits that tens of millions of people are taking advantage of.” said Larry Levitt, executive vice president of health policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation.(Weber, 3/30)
Washington Post: Texas judge voids ACA promise of free preventive health services
Insurers generally do not change plan content in the middle of a calendar year. Still, some experts said there is nothing stopping insurers from doing so. Some predict that it may impose a forehead. (Goldstein, 3/30)
San Francisco Chronicle: Federal Judge’s Ruling on Affordable Care Act Does Not Affect Californians, State Commissioner Says
Thursday’s federal judge’s ruling against the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that insurance companies cover preventive health checks for cancer, mental illness and other conditions won’t affect most Californians. Wax. (Egerko, 3/30)
again –
KHN: KHN’s ‘What the Health?’: Judiciary’s blow to ACA
Opponents of the Affordable Care Act may have stopped trying to overturn the entire law in court, but they haven’t stopped challenging parts of it, and have found allies in Fort Worth, Texas. By: U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor. In 2018, O’Connor ruled that the entire ACA was unconstitutional and was eventually overturned by the Supreme Court. Now, a judge has found that part of the law’s requirement for insurance companies to cover preventive care without copayment violates the federal Religious Freedom Act.(3/30) )
