06.27.2025 / Statement

In Braidwood Ruling, SCOTUS Upholds Popular ACA Requirement to Fully Cover Key Preventive Services

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Anthony Wright, executive director of Families USA, issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court’s decision today in the Braidwood v. Kennedy case concerning the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) requirement for plans to cover preventive health care services free of cost-sharing.

“The Supreme Court provided some security to over 170 million Americans by preserving their access to the ACA’s guarantee that life-saving preventive services will be covered without cost-sharing. This means most Americans will continue to get screenings for cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, HIV, depression, intimate partner violence, and substance use disorders as long as the Task Force’s recommendations remain intact. For over a decade, those with private insurance plans have benefited from zero-cost preventive services provided under the ACA, and this decision beats back yet another challenge to that law. Numerous polls indicate that this guarantee of no-cost preventive services is one of the ACA’s most popular features.

“While this is a foundational victory for patients, patients have reason to be concerned that the decision reaffirms the ability of the HHS secretary, including our current one, to control the membership and recommendations of the US Preventive Services Task Force that determines which preventive services are covered. We must be vigilant to ensure Secretary Kennedy does not undo coverage of preventive services by taking actions such as his recent firing of qualified health experts from the CDC’s independent vaccine advisory committee and replacing them with his personal allies. For patients to fully benefit from this patient protection, this and future HHS Secretaries must commit to follow the nonpartisan, evidence-based advice of doctors and medical professionals in prioritizing the preventive care that provides the best benefit for the public.”

“The plaintiffs in this case were intent on eliminating access for a specific vulnerable population, those at risk of HIV, but as often is the case, an attack on some ends up being an attack on all. The underlying case ended up threatening free access to vital preventive services at a time when Americans are crying out for solutions to address high health care costs. Safeguarding no-cost preventive care is more essential than ever, and now Congress and the White House are continuing their efforts to undermine preventive care and coverage itself, public and private, through Medicaid and the marketplaces. At this moment, the Senate is hastily advancing a budget bill that could lead to millions of families losing access to their health care, including preventive services. While this Supreme Court decision is a positive step for preventive services, we all need to continue the vigorous defense of further attempts to reduce or cut access to health care services and coverage.”