SCOTUS Must Protect Access to No-Cost Preventive Services As Braidwood Oral Arguments Conclude

Washington, DC — As Supreme Court justices deliberate over Kennedy v. Braidwood (formerly Braidwood v. Becerra) following the conclusion of oral arguments today, over 150 million people are holding their breath to see whether preventive services like cancer screenings, PreP for HIV prevention, and certain diabetes screenings will continue to come at no cost to them – or whether they’ll be forced to find room in their budgets for yet another health expense. 

As justices deliberate, here are some key points to keep in mind: 

• Eliminating the preventive services mandate will inject uncertainty and chaos into our health care system as we strip away a component that people have relied on for over a decade. We know that people already have anxieties about their health care not being there when they need it – taking away no-cost coverage of these services could make that worse.
  
• People may forgo these services if they come with even a small price tag – leading them into potentially needing more expensive and time-consuming care down the road. That’s a major red flag for people, their employers who would need to cover lost time from sicker employees, and their insurers who will be stuck with even larger bills from hospitals and doctors’ offices.
  
• No-cost preventive services are incredibly popular across party lines, and both Republican and Democratic administrations have defended the preventive services mandate in this case. With 92% of Democrats and 72% of Republicans viewing the preventive services mandate favorably, there is absolutely no political mandate or will to eliminate no-cost access to these services.
  
• No-cost preventive services are a critical part of keeping people healthy. Access to preventive care and treatments can lower the risk of chronic disease, catch cancer before it becomes terminal, and help people maintain a healthy lifestyle. By taking away this access, we’d be putting people’s health in jeopardy. 

“The right choice is clear – the Supreme Court must keep people’s access to no-cost preventive care intact as it is,” said Natalie Davis, CEO and Co-Founder of United States of Care. “Everyday people, their employers, their insurers, their providers, the Trump administration and the Biden administration, organizations across the country, and countless other stakeholders all agree that the preventive services mandate should remain in place. It’s time for the Supreme Court to issue a ruling that protects this core component of our health care and closes the book on this years-long threat to people’s health care.”

Visit United States of Care’s preventive services resource hub here to learn more about this case and what we’re doing to protect access to no-cost preventive care. A decision on the case is expected in late June or early July of this year.

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