Appeals Court Refuses To Block Mandate Requiring Insurers To Cover Certain Preventive Care Services, But Exempts Certain Companies

Reuters (6/21, Pierson) reported that the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday “refused to block a federal mandate requiring health insurers to cover preventive care services like cancer screenings and HIV-preventing medication at no extra cost to patients, but ruled against the government on a key legal issue that leaves the mandate’s future in doubt.” The unanimous panel of the court “agreed with a group of Christian businesses suing to challenge the mandate that claimed that the way services were chosen for coverage violates the US Constitution.” However, it also “found that US District Judge Reed O’Connor...had gone too far by blocking the mandate nationwide in March 2023, and instead blocked its enforcement only against the businesses that brought the lawsuit.”