--- title: Federal Judge Vacates ACA Preventive Care Coverage Requirements description: Federal Judge issued a final statement that strikes down portions of the ACA's preventive care coverage requirement. Learn how it affects health plans and about what is to come. image: https://1652561.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1652561/Judge%20ruling.jpg --- [Skip to content](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/federal-judge-vacates-aca-preventive-care-coverage-requirements#main-content) [![Columbia Benefit Solutions](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/hubfs/ColumbiaBenefit%20Logo_final_lg-1.png)](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/0) - [Home](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com) - [Services](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/services) - [GA](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/general-agency-services) - [About](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/about) - [Blog](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog) - [Contact](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/contact) # Federal Judge Vacates ACA Preventive Care Coverage Requirements *[![MZQ_logo_2019_FINAL-01 copy 2](https://1652561.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/1652561/hubfs/MZQ_logo_2019_FINAL-01%20copy%202.jpg?width=254&height=130&name=MZQ_logo_2019_FINAL-01%20copy%202.jpg)](https://www.mzqconsulting.com/)* ---   Last Thursday, U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor of the Northern District of Texas issued [a final judgment](https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.txnd.330381/gov.uscourts.txnd.330381.113.0_4.pdf) that strikes down portions of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) preventive care coverage requirement. The ACA requires the following preventive care services be provided to participants without cost-sharing: - Services with an A or B rating in the current recommendations of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF); - Preventive care and screenings for infants, children, and adolescents in comprehensive guidelines supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA); - Preventive care and screenings for women’s health specified in HRSA guidelines; and - Immunizations recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). ### What does the ruling state?  Judge O’Connor’s ruling states that health plans cannot be required to cover the services with an A or B rating recommended by the USPSTF after the passage of the ACA free of charge. Examples of these services include colonoscopies, various cancer screenings, chemotherapy for breast cancer, and HIV PrEP care. The ruling further provides that employers with religious objections to PrEP HIV medications cannot be required to cover those medications. It is important to note that this decision has no impact on the ACA’s preventive care requirements for ACIP-recommended immunizations and HRSA-recommended preventive care, including women’s contraceptive care. Additionally, this ruling does not affect the preventive services that health savings account-compatible high-deductible health plans can cover without applying a deductible. ### What will the ruling result in? This ruling may ultimately result in limited cost-sharing for some plans, but change is not mandatory. Health plans are not required to stop covering USPSTF-recommended A & B services, nor must they apply cost-sharing to these services.  The primary consequence of the decision is that if it withstands further legal challenges, first-dollar coverage for these services will no longer be required. In any event, immediate changes in plan designs are unlikely because of: (1) the strict limitations on the ability to change plan designs midyear that apply to both fully insured and self-funded plans, and (2) the legal uncertainty surrounding the future of this holding. In this regard, the Department of Justice has already appealed Judge O’Connor’s ruling, and the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear the appeal. We will continue to monitor this case and provide updates as they become available.   --- *© 2023 MZQ Consulting, LLC. All rights reserved. * *Content provided to [Q4intelligence](https://www.q4intel.com) members by [MZQ Consulting, LLC](https://www.mzqconsulting.com/)*   Photo by [lacheev](https://www.123rf.com/profile_lacheev) [Next post](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/five-cost-effective-employee-retention-strategies) [All posts](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog) [Previous post](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/new-data-four-things-employers-should-be-paying-attention-to) ## View Related Posts #### [Supreme Court Confirms Employers Should Continue to Cover Preventive Care Without Cost-Sharing](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/supreme-court-confirms-employers-should-continue-to-cover-preventive-care-without-cost-sharing) #### [2024 Employer Mandate Penalties Released](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/2024-employer-mandate-penalties-released) #### [Additional Guidance Issued Regarding Contraceptive Care Coverage Mandate](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/additional-guidance-issued-regarding-contraceptive-care-coverage-mandate) ![Columbia Benefit Solutions Logo](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/hubfs/ColumbiaBenefit%20Logo_final_lg-1.png) CBS guides employers and individuals in choosing the right benefit designs and insurance plans. To do this, we strive to empower and educate others to feel confident in the decisions they make.   --- Columbia Benefit Solutions is not connected with or endorsed by the U.S. Government or with the federal Medicare program. Required Federal Disclosure:  We do not offer every plan available in your area. Currently, we represent 15 organizations in 8 states which offer 340 plans (plan availability depends on the zip code in which you reside).  Please contact Medicare.gov, 1-800-MEDICARE or your local State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) to get information on all of your options. - Resources - [Services](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/services-archived) - [GA](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/general-agency-services-archived) - [About us](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/about-archived) - [Contact us](https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/contact-archived) © 2022 All rights reserved. | [Privacy Policy](https://7961842.hs-sites.com/privacy-policy) | Powered by [Q4intelligence](https://q4intel.com) Developed by [GiantFocal](https://www.giantfocal.com) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/federal-judge-vacates-aca-preventive-care-coverage-requirements/#article", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Columbia Benefits Solutions" }, "dateModified" : "2025-09-05T16:55:32Z", "datePublished" : "2023-04-18T20:11:26Z", "description" : "Federal Judge issued a final statement that strikes down portions of the ACA's preventive care coverage requirement. Learn how it affects health plans and about what is to come.", "headline" : "Federal Judge Vacates ACA Preventive Care Coverage Requirements", "image" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "height" : "1672", "url" : "https://1652561.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/1652561/Judge%20ruling.jpg", "width" : "2508" }, "inLanguage" : "en", "isPartOf" : { "@id" : "https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/#blog", "@type" : "Blog", "name" : "The CBS Blog", "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/#organization" } }, "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/federal-judge-vacates-aca-preventive-care-coverage-requirements/#webpage" }, "publisher" : { "@id" : "https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/#organization" }, "url" : "https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/federal-judge-vacates-aca-preventive-care-coverage-requirements" } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@id" : "https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com/blog/federal-judge-vacates-aca-preventive-care-coverage-requirements/#breadcrumb", "@type" : "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement" : [ { "@type" : "ListItem", "item" : "https://www.columbiabenefitsolutions.com", "name" : "Home", "position" : 1 } ] } ``` ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "Article", "author" : { "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "Q4intelligence, LLC" }, "datePublished" : "2023-04-27T10:00:00+00:00", "headline" : "Federal Judge Vacates ACA Preventive Care Coverage Requirements", "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://insights.q4intel.com/employers/federal-judge-vacates-aca-preventive-care-coverage-requirements", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "name" : "Q4intelligence, LLC", "url" : "https://www.q4intel.com" } } ```