AIDS Foundation Chicago applauds today’s decision by the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) preventive services mandate, which ensures preventive services that have been given an A or B Grade recommendation by the U.S. Preventive Services Taskforce (USPSTF) must be covered by private medical insurers at no cost-sharing to beneficiaries.
While it is the law in Illinois that medical insurers must cover USPSTF-recommended PrEP services at no cost-sharing to beneficiaries, this decision upholds the intent of Congress that all U.S. residents enjoy common-sense access to preventive services that save lives. This ruling not only protects access to Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP)—highly effective medication to prevent HIV—but also protects access to cancer and cardiovascular disease screenings, mental health services, vaccines, and more.
The initial challenge to the USPSTF by Braidwood Management was premised on homophobia and sought to vilify life-saving prevention services like PrEP and the HPV vaccine. They argued that prevention services like PrEP and the HPV vaccine inherently promote promiscuity and same-gender attraction. This is patently false. PrEP has been a tool in our arsenal to end the HIV epidemic since 2012 and people vulnerable to HIV from all walks of life—not just the LGBTQ+ community—have been able to remain HIV-negative as a result. The designation of PrEP as a Grade A service by the USPSTF in 2019 and 2023 has removed more barriers for vulnerable communities, has led to a steady increase in PrEP uptake, and has the potential to end the HIV epidemic in our lifetime.
Much work remains to be done to ensure all people who can benefit from PrEP can access it. According to AIDSVu, in 2023 Black and Latinx individuals made up 70% of all new HIV diagnoses, and made up only 32% of all PrEP users. White individuals, on the other hand, accounted for 24% of all new HIV diagnoses, and accounted for 64% of all PrEP users. It’s evident from the date that disparities in access to PrEP persist among the communities most impacted by HIV, and AFC is committed to ensuring all Illinoisans have access to life-saving prevention care.
AFC calls on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., and the Trump Administration to safeguard the integrity of the USPSTF by ensuring it remains data- and science-driven, and independent of political pressure. The American people deserve policies that are based on cutting-edge research and not political whims. Any effort by this or any future administration to reverse the progress we have made to increase PrEP uptake will lead to new, entirely preventable HIV transmissions. We will not accept this.
