US Supreme Court preserves key element of Obamacare preventive care

Reuters ^ | June 27, 20259:35 AM CDT | John Kruzel

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Summary

• Case was latest Obamacare challenge to reach Supreme Court
• US Preventive Services Task Force appointments at issue

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday preserved a key element of the Obamacare law that helps guarantee that health insurers cover preventive care such as cancer screenings at no cost to patients.

The justices in a 6-3 decision reversed a lower court's ruling that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, which under the 2010 law formally called the Affordable Care Act has a major role in choosing what services will be covered, is composed of members who were not validly appointed.

Its 16 members are selected by the U.S. secretary of health and human services without Senate confirmation. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had found that this arrangement violated the U.S. Constitution's provision on the appointment of governmental officers.

Several individual Christian plaintiffs and two small businesses sued in federal court in Texas in 2020 to challenge the task force's structure. It was the latest in a years-long series of challenges to Democratic former President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement to reach the Supreme Court.

Before the case was narrowed to the appointments issue, the plaintiffs had included a religious objection to being required to cover pre-exposure prophylaxis for HIV. They claimed that such drugs "facilitate and encourage homosexual behavior, prostitution, sexual promiscuity and intravenous drug use."

The U.S. government's appeal of the decision by the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals initially was filed by Democratic former President Joe Biden's administration before being taken up by Republican President Donald Trump's administration.

Public health advocates had warned that life-saving tests and treatments that have been cost-free under most insurance plans may become subject to co-pays and deductibles, deterring many Americans from obtaining them,...

[protoconservative]

Insurance companies should be all in for early screaming testing, where the treatments are diet changes, lifestyle changes, pills and office visits rather than surgery, estate planning and recovery care. I really never saw the purpose of something that was happening in 1995 onwards, free screaming for this and that.

There is the problem that with universal testing people expect their treatment plan to match what their peer or WebMD told them about, without all the factors included. That we have 20 to 40 years of statistics for every common aliments, we do have to spend some time figuring out if aggressive and expensive treatments work across 250+ aliments for every age bracket.

[Az Joe]

While Obamacare will always suck as long as it exists, I don’t see this case outcome as harmful.

[af_vet_1981]

John McCain’s fault

[NonValueAdded]

For the moment, but they affirmed Secretary Kennedy’s right to replace the group. Get busy, there, Sec. Kennedy

[Revel]

“Obamacare law that helps guarantee that health insurers cover preventive care such as cancer screenings at no cost to patients.”

There is no such thing as “No Cost”. The cost is just passed on to everyone. Meaning higher prices for everyone.