March 30, 2023
On March 30, a U.S. district judge in Texas ruled that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement for insurers to cover preventive health services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is unconstitutional because members of that panel are not appointed by the president and approved by the Senate, violating the U.S. Constitution’s appointments clause.
This ruling is a blow to efforts aimed at improving health, preventing serous disease, and reducing financial barriers to evidence-based care. Other ACA preventive care mandates from the US Health Resources and Services Administration and the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practice were left intact.
Among the affected preventive services are cancer, heart and STD screenings, and tobacco cessation counseling programs. In September, the same judge struck down a requirement for coverage of HIV prevention treatment, PrEP, on the basis that the requirement violated the plaintiffs’ religious beliefs.
“Thirteen years after becoming law, the ACA continues to be under fire despite how many people it has helped,” said MMA President Will Nicholson, MD. “The MMA supports providing no-cost preventive care because in the long run it leads to lower healthcare costs. It’s always best to find these diseases early and reduce financial barriers to obtaining them.”
It is not yet known how the Biden administration and Department of Health and Human Services will respond.
April 9, 2026
An amended piece of legislation that would exempt buprenorphine from prior authorization (PA) was heard in the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on April 9.
April 9, 2026
On April 9, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee heard a bill that would require coverage for psychiatric Collaborative Care Model (CoCM) services under Medical Assistance.
April 9, 2026
On April 9, the House Taxes Committee heard legislation focused on supporting the financial stability and ongoing operations of Hennepin Healthcare.