LANSING, MI (WKZO AM/FM) – On Tuesday, April 25, State Representative Julie Rogers, D-Kalamazoo, Anita Fox, Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS) director, and Nicole Wells Stallworth, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan executive director, joined Protect Our Care Michigan to discuss U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor’s devastating decision to strike down a major provision of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requiring free coverage of lifesaving preventive health care services.
Those on Tuesday’s conference call said that O’Connor’s decision in Braidwood Management v. Becerra is just the latest in Republicans’ endless war on access to health care and would end the ACA’s guaranteed free access to essential preventive services including lifesaving breast cancer screenings, colorectal and other cancer screenings, anxiety and depression screenings for children and adults, heart disease screenings, intimate partner violence screenings, and access to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), which can reduce the chance of contracting HIV.
During the call, speakers discussed what this decision could mean for Michiganders’ access to lifesaving health care services and what is to come as the lawsuit moves through the court system.
“The disastrous Braidwood ruling in Texas only further increases health care disparities in underserved communities across Michigan and around the country,” said Rogers, who also chairs the House Health Policy Committee. “That’s why my colleagues and I are introducing legislation that would enshrine important elements of the federal Affordable Care Act in Michigan law, including coverage for preventative services. We cannot afford to make preventative health care an afterthought in Michigan, or anywhere across the country for that matter.”
“Preventive health care without deductibles, coinsurance or copays is one of the most important benefits of the Affordable Care Act and that’s why, under Governor Whitmer’s leadership, we worked to secure agreements to maintain this coverage from 100% of our state-regulated fully-insured health insurance plans,” said Fox. “This is an example of regulators and insurers working together quickly to address a concern and do the right thing for the people of our state. We will continue to monitor this case as it develops to ensure Michiganders are protected.”
“The Braidwood decision is yet another attack on access to sexual and reproductive health care,” said Wells Stallworth. “This decision will cost patients thousands of dollars per year, pushing essential reproductive health services like mammograms, cancer screenings, HIV prevention, and prenatal care out of reach for millions of Americans. We need leaders at every level of government to address this reproductive health crisis head-on and ensure everyone can access the care they need.”
More information regarding Braidwood Management v. Becerra can be found here.
