On Sept. 7, District Judge Reed O’Connor made two rulings in Texas that may significantly change the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
The first decision by the district judge found that the task force that helps decide federal health insurance mandates is unconstitutional. Additionally, he ruled that private insurers do not have to cover the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) medication, which is used to mitigate the spread of HIV and is a current requirement under the ACA.
Yen-Tyng Chen, an assistant professor at the Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, said that if the ACA-required coverage of PrEP ended, it would worsen existing disparities in health coverage.
“When taking out the ACA protection on PrEP, we are creating an injustice, immoral and (unsustainable) environment that worsens HIV disparity and pulls … society from the goal of eliminating HIV.”