Washington, D.C. – Today, the Supreme Court rightly rejected a constitutional challenge from far-right activists that would have eliminated the Affordable Care Act (ACA)’s cost-free coverage requirement for numerous life-saving preventive care services. Approximately 150 million Americans rely on the ACA for free access to services like cancer screenings, statins to address high cholesterol levels, mental health screenings, HIV prevention medication, and more.
However, despite this win, preventative services are still in danger. The Trump administration was given the ability to overturn health experts’ evidence-based recommendations regarding which preventive services insurers must cover. HHS Secretary RFK Jr. already replaced a key panel responsible for issuing vaccine recommendations and just yesterday the panel made one of the first major changes in federal vaccine guidance, voting to recommend that no one receives certain flu shots containing an ingredient anti-vaccine advocates have long targeted without any evidence. Existing coverage is now at risk, given the Trump administration’s open embrace of pseudoscientific treatments and track record of embracing junk plans that are not required to cover evidence-based services – not to mention their longtime goal of repealing the ACA altogether.
In response, Protect Our Care Senior Advisor Anne Shoup issued a statement:
“Today’s Supreme Court ruling in Kennedy v. Braidwood is a major victory for the American people and for affordable health care. For now, millions of Americans can breathe a sigh of relief knowing they can continue to access free lifesaving care, such as cancer screenings, statins to address high cholesterol levels, mental health screenings, and HIV prevention medication. But make no mistake – this is not over. While today’s ruling protects preventive care for now, the Trump administration including HHS Secretary RFK Jr., Republicans, and other far-right extremists continue to try and weaken these protections and hand more power to insurance companies. The fight to protect affordable health care for all is far from over. We must remain vigilant to ensure access to science-backed preventative services are protected”
