CHICAGO – In defense of a central feature of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the American Medical Association (AMA), joined by seven other physician organizations, today filed a friend-of-the-court brief that argues for the continued access to no-cost preventive health services that millions of Americans gained from national health care reform.

The amicus brief in Braidwood Management v. Becerra urges U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth to exercise “equitable discretion” that would not imperil the expansion of insurance coverage for preventive care services under the ACA, which has dramatically boosted access to zero-cost screenings and assessments for the early detection of disease.

The organizations stated in the brief, “The research is clear: no-cost preventive care saves lives, saves money, improves health outcomes, and enables healthier lifestyles…By expanding access to insurance coverage, and by requiring insurance plans to cover preventive health services without cost-sharing, such as copays and deductibles, the ACA greatly expanded the availability of these services.”

Additional organizations joining the AMA in defense of no-cost preventive health care services include the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the American Medical Women’s Association, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, the National Medical Association, and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine.

As part of its mission to promote the art and science of medicine and the betterment of public health, the AMA works in the courts to support optimal health for all and ensure that every patient has meaningful, comprehensive, and affordable health coverage to improve the health of the nation.

Editor’s Note: For additional AMA perspective on preserving the ACA’s preventive care provisions, please see the September viewpoint by AMA President Jack Resneck Jr., M.D.