In response to the decision issued by Judge Reed C. O’Connor of the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas in Braidwood Mgmt., Inc. v. Becerra, Democracy Forward President & CEO Skye Perryman released the following statement:

Gutting the ACA’s preventive care requirement is cruel and harmful, and will leave millions of Americans across the country without meaningful access to life-saving preventive services – such as cancer screenings, services critical to women’s health, and prescription medications. This requirement has been in place under the law for over a decade and healthcare professionals have made clear that this essential provision saves lives every day.

We know that without this requirement, many patients, particularly individuals with lower incomes, will forgo the care they need. Today’s ruling will leave doctors and other healthcare professionals in an untenable situation, struggling to encourage their patients to accept medically indicated services that will save lives while patients face a loss of coverage and are required to be at the mercy of insurance providers. We urge the appellate courts to reverse this decision.