For Immediate Release:
Wednesday, February 26, 2025
Contact: Ben Conroy
(984) 383-9038
RALEIGH – Attorney General Jeff Jackson filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court supporting the federal government’s efforts to protect a key provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that guarantees access to critical preventive care for millions of Americans. The Supreme Court will hear the case on April 21.
“North Carolinians rely on these health care services to help catch, treat, and prevent serious medical issues,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “The federal government is right to defend the Affordable Care Act, and I support their efforts to uphold the law in court.”
Since Congress enacted the Affordable Care Act in 2010, the law has expanded access to preventive services, including cancer screenings. The decisions about what preventive services must be covered by private insurers at no cost is made by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Attorney General Jackson and the coalition of attorneys general are urging the court to reverse a lower court’s decision in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, Inc. that said that the structure of the task force is unconstitutional.
The coalition of attorneys general argue that the task force’s members are constitutionally appointed and supervised by the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Further, many Americans have come to rely on the no-cost health care access provided by the provision. Within four years of the ACA’s passage, approximately 76 million Americans gained expanded coverage to one or more preventive services. As of 2020, an estimated 151.6 million people were enrolled in private insurance plans that cover preventive services at no cost to patients.
Joining Attorney General Jackson in filing this brief are the Attorneys General of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.
A copy of the brief is available here.
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