The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 decision on Friday, upheld the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) mandate for cost-free preventive care, provided it is supported by an expert panel. This ruling in Kennedy v. Braidwood overturned an appeals court's determination that members of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) were not constitutionally appointed. Had the Supreme Court affirmed the lower court's decision, health plans could have reintroduced out-of-pocket costs for a wide array of services recommended by the Task Force since the ACA's enactment in 2010, including cancer screenings and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) treatment, potentially causing significant disruption to healthcare access.

The case originated in 2022 when Braidwood Management, a health and wellness center, and other plaintiffs sued the Biden administration. Their arguments centered on two main points: a religious objection to covering certain drugs, including PrEP, without cost-sharing, and a technical claim that USPSTF members required presidential appointment and Senate confirmation, which they had not received. While the plaintiffs initially prevailed in the Northern District of Texas federal court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, the Fifth Circuit stayed its ruling, recognizing the potential for widespread disruption in health insurance markets, pending the Supreme Court's review. Notably, the Supreme Court opted to address only the constitutional appointment of Task Force members, sidestepping the religious rights question.

The majority opinion, penned by Justice Brett Kavanaugh and supported by three liberal-leaning justices and conservative Justices John Roberts and Amy Coney Barrett, affirmed that USPSTF members are