WASHINGTON — In response to Judge Reed O’Connor’s decision to strike down the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services coverage mandate, Health Care for America Now (HCAN) Executive Director Margarida Jorge released the following statement:
“Access to free preventive services saves lives and money for those who need it most and reduces overall costs in the health care system. For years the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services coverage mandate has provided everyday Americans with no-cost health care services including cancer and blood pressure screenings, annual checkups, immunizations, and statin medications. Judge O’Connor’s decision to roll back access to some of these important services for more than 150 million people will have devastating consequences. Rather than preventing disease and catching life-threatening conditions early enough for effective treatment, many patients will lose the opportunity for better health, suffer worse health outcomes and even risk survival because of this attack on preventive services.
“Now is the time to secure and expand affordable access to health care, not roll back hard-won progress for everyone because of one individual’s objections to free birth control. The political views of one extreme judge should not put the health and well-being of millions of Americans in jeopardy. The Biden Administration must appeal this ruling swiftly to ensure that insurance policies continue to cover basic preventive services at no cost to consumers as an essential part of the health care that everyone in our country needs to thrive.”
