Overview

• The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on April 21, 2025, in Kennedy v. Braidwood, which challenges the constitutionality of the ACA's preventive care mandate.
• At the core of the case is whether the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) can mandate no-cost coverage without presidential appointment and Senate confirmation.
• A Stanford study estimates nearly 40 million privately insured Americans currently use at least one of these no-cost preventive services, including cancer screenings and HIV prevention drugs.
• Experts warn that reinstating cost-sharing for services like PrEP and cancer screenings could lead to worse health outcomes, including 20,000 additional HIV infections over five years.
• If the Court rules against the ACA provision, the HHS secretary could gain authority to veto USPSTF recommendations, potentially limiting future coverage mandates.