(HealthDay News) — An appeals court ruling means that many insured Americans can still receive free preventive health care services, though that may change in the future, The New York Times reported.
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) mandates that most health insurance plans fully cover preventive health care services, such as cancer screening.
In March, a judge ruled to eliminate this mandate, but the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit temporarily blocked this decision on May 15. Therefore, Americans will maintain access to this free preventive health care while the case works its way through the appeals process.
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The March ruling was made by Judge Reed O’Connor of the Federal District Court for the Northern District of Texas. O’Connor said the US Preventive Services Task Force, which recommends the list of preventative services, was not appointed by Congress, so the group does not have the constitutional authority to make a decision about health care services.
This is not O’Connor’s only ruling on ACA provisions. In 2018, he ruled that the ACA was unconstitutional, but this ruling was later overturned by the US Supreme Court. O’Connor also ruled last September that the ACA mandate requiring coverage of HIV prophylaxis violated a company’s religious freedom.
