In win for the good guys, the courts rule you can't deny preventative services because you want people to sick and price gouge them for treatment.
https://www.axios.com/2024/06/21/aca-insurance-free-preventive-servicesHealth insurers nationwide must continue to provide coverage of certain preventive services like cancer screenings and behavioral counseling at no cost, a federal appeals court ruled Friday.
Why it matters: The decision in the closely watched case largely preserves the Affordable Care Act's free preventive services requirement.
>However, the appellate panel said the requirement won't apply to the companies who challenged it, and it asked a lower court to review the legality of other no-cost preventive services.
Catch up quick: Two Christian-owned companies sued the federal government in 2020 over the requirement that their employer-sponsored insurance plans cover preventive medicines for HIV at no cost.
They argued the coverage requirement, issued by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, was invalid because the panel lacked authority since its members weren't Senate-confirmed.
>A Republican Texas federal judge last year blocked the federal government from requiring insurers provide free coverage of services recommended by USPSTF.
>However, the nationwide injunction was put on hold while the case moved through the appeals process and never took effect.
