On June 27, the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision that requires most private insurers to cover preventive services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) without cost-sharing by patients.
In February, ACOI joined the American Cancer Society (ACS), American Medical Association and 30 other patient organizations and medical societies in filing an amicus brief in support of protecting the ACA preventive services coverage mandate.
Following the ruling, a press release issued by the ACS and supported by ACOI applauded the Supreme Court’s decision to protect access to lifesaving preventive care without patient cost sharing. The ruling also reemphasized the authority for the Secretary of Health and Human Services to appoint and remove USPSTF members at will which is raising concerns among the medical and public health community about the risk of political interference in USPSTF activities. The Trump Administration recently canceled a regularly scheduled USPSTF meeting without explanation, raising questions about the future of the panel.