Texan Advocates Challenge Obamacare in Court Over STI and HIV Treatment Coverage

A group of far-right advocates is taking another shot at the Affordable Care Act (ACA), this time over preventative care mandates. The group, comprised of Texas residents and former Trump officials, claims that covering life-saving sexually transmitted infection (STI) and HIV preventative care violates the Religious Freedom Restoration Act because it encourages “homosexual behavior,” sex work, safe sex, and harm reduction for those with substance disorders.

According to Alice Miranda OIlstein, “An analysis released Monday by Urban Institute, a left-leaning think tank, funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, found a ruling in the Texans’ favor could threaten coverage of preventive services for nearly 168 million people on employer health insurance and on Obamacare’s individual market. The study predicts that could, in turn, reverse health gains made since Obamacare was enacted, such as the decrease in unintended pregnancies and the increase in cancer screening rates.”

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(Source: Politico, June 26th, 2022)