Supreme Court preserves key part of Obamacare coverage requirements

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST WASHINGTON AP The Supreme Court preserved a key part of the Affordable Care Act s preventive medical care coverage requirements on Friday rejecting a challenge from Christian employers to the provision that affects various million Americans The - ruling comes in a lawsuit over how the cabinet decides which fitness care medications and services must be fully covered by private insurance under former President Barack Obama s signature law often referred to as Obamacare The plaintiffs announced the process is unconstitutional because a volunteer board of healthcare experts tasked with recommending which services are covered is not Senate approved President Donald Trump s administration defended the mandate before the court though the Republican president has been a critic of his Democratic predecessor s law The Justice Department disclosed board members don t need Senate approval because they can be removed by the fitness and human services secretary Medications and services that could have been affected include statins to lower cholesterol lung cancer screenings HIV-prevention drugs and medication to lower the chance of breast cancer for women Related Articles Trump says US has signed a deal with China on pact without giving details Canadian man held by immigration representatives dies in South Florida federal facility executives say Trumps drop Made in the USA label for new phone and a debate ensues How to define made Meet the Senate parliamentarian the official tying Republicans in knots over their tax bill Native leaders blast construction of Florida s Alligator Alcatraz on land they call sacred The episode came before the Supreme Court after an appeals court struck down certain preventive care coverage requirements The U S th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with the Christian employers and Texas residents who argued they can t be forced to provide full insurance coverage for things like medication to prevent HIV and particular cancer screenings Well-known conservative attorney Jonathan Mitchell who represented Trump before the high court in a dispute about whether he could appear on the ballot argued the scenario The appeals court discovered that coverage requirements were unconstitutional because they came from a body the United States Preventive Services Task Force whose members were not nominated by the president and approved by the Senate A analysis prepared by the nonprofit KFF unveiled that ruling would still allow full-coverage requirements for particular services including mammography and cervical cancer screening Follow the AP s coverage of the U S Supreme Court at https apnews com hub us-supreme-court