Lawmakers are asking some of the nation's largest health insurers how they will handle preventive care after a judge struck down some requirements for payers to cover preventive services with no cost-sharing.
Democrats on the House and Senate health committees wrote to the chief executives of UnitedHealth Group, Elevance Health, Cigna, CVS Health, the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association and Humana, in addition to AHIP and other industry associations.
"We are very concerned that the decision will unnecessarily cause confusion, force consumers to pay out-of-pocket, and result in patients foregoing preventive services screenings and treatment altogether," the committee leaders said in an April 13 news release.
U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor ruled March 30 that preventive care recommendations made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force do not need to be complied with and blocked the federal government from enforcing its recommendations.
The new ruling only applies to task force recommendations made by the panel on or after March 23, 2010 (when the ACA became law), such as statins; lung and skin cancer screenings; and pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, an HIV prevention drug. STI screenings and cancer screenings such as mammograms and cervical screenings would still be included for preventive coverage.
The Biden administration has appealed the ruling.
"While this case undergoes further judicial review, it is firmly within the control of your organization or member organizations to save lives and continue zero cost-sharing for preventive services," the lawmakers wrote in their letters.
In a March 30 news release, AHIP President and CEO Matt Eyles said Americans should not expect any immediate disruptions in coverage.
"We fully expect that this matter will continue on appeal, and we await the federal government's next steps in the litigation, as well as any guidance from relevant federal agencies," Mr. Eyles said.