Carl Schmid, the executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute, said the organization was not surprised by O’Connor’s decision, giving his past rulings, not only against the Affordable Care Act, but LGBTQ rights in general. “Preventive services covered by private insurance plans without cost-sharing, such as HIV testing, hepatitis B and C testing, and PrEP, are all critical and well-established public health preventive services that must continue,” Schmid said in a statement.
Dems senators to AHIP: Ensure plans cover PrEP, related services
A group of Democratic senators is pressing AHIP over reports that some insurers are not providing cost-free coverage of HIV prevention medication and related services as required under the Affordable Care Act, a move that comes one day after a court ruling threatens access to PrEP and other preventive services .
Texas district court allows employers to deny HIV PrEP coverage
“Judge O’Connor has a long history of issuing rulings against the Affordable Care Act and LGBT individuals, and we expect the case to be successfully appealed as has been the case with his previous discriminatory decisions,” said Carl Schmid, executive director of the HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute in Washington, DC, in a prepared statement issued shortly after the ruling. “To single out PrEP, which are FDA approved drugs that effectively prevent HIV, and conclude that its coverage violates the religious freedom of certain individuals, is plain wrong, highly discriminatory, and impedes the public health of our nation,” he said.
Federal judge rules HIV drug mandate violates religious freedom
A federal judge in Texas on Wednesday ruled that requiring employers to provide the HIV prevention drug PrEP violates their religious freedom. The judge, Reed O’Connor of Fort Worth, also called into question mandatory coverage of all preventive health care services — a stance that could have a wide-ranging impact on the future of the 2010 health care law.
Judge rules that the mandate to cover PrEP for HIV prevention violates religious freedom
PrEP is not just for gay men, but for anyone who may be at risk of HIV. In fact, according to the CDC, of the 1.2 million people who might benefit from PrEP, over half are heterosexual. We as a nation must do all we can to prevent HIV, no matter whom it may impact. We look forward to a successful appeal of this decision.