The American College of Radiology® (ACR®) signed an American Medical Association-led joint statement alerting the public to a case before a federal judge in the Northern District of Texas (Kelley v. Becerra) to end an Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision requiring coverage of preventive services without cost to consumers. A ruling in favor of the plaintiff (Kelley) could significantly jeopardize the coverage of preventive healthcare services for millions of Americans with private health insurance, and reverse positive trends in patient health achieved by the early detection and treatment of diseases and other medical conditions.
Specifically, an adverse decision in this case would mean that millions of privately insured patients will lose first-dollar coverage for important screening and preventive services, including those approved by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the Health Resources and Services Administration’s preventive care and screening guidelines for women, infants, children and adolescents. Screening for breast cancer, colon cancer and lung cancer are just some of the more than 100 preventive services that would be affected.
The ACR will continue to monitor the progress of this case and alert members to the ramifications of any of its rulings. For more information, please contact Joshua Cooper, ACR Vice President, Congressional Affairs.