June 27, 2025
AVAC welcomes today’s ruling affirming the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services mandate, including coverage for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) at no cost to patients. This decision represents a critical victory for public health, health equity, and the millions of people who rely on preventive services to stay healthy and safe. By rejecting efforts to strip away access to PrEP and other essential services based on ideological objections, the court has reaffirmed that public policy must be grounded in science, not stigma.
Since the original Braidwood decision, AVAC and our partners have worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the case’s far-reaching implications. We joined legal advocates, public health experts, and community leaders to underscore what was at stake: access to evidence-based care and decades of progress in preventing HIV and other serious conditions. Today’s ruling confirms the power of coordinated advocacy and the importance of protecting science-driven health policy from politically motivated attacks.
This outcome ensures that individuals can continue to access PrEP, both the medication and the clinical services necessary to support its use, without cost barriers. It preserves critical public health gains and sends a strong message that discrimination has no place in our health care system.
“This ruling is a relief in maintaining the critical role under the Affordable Care Act to cover preventive care services, including HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP),” said Mitchell Warren, AVAC’s Executive Director. “Preventive services across healthcare are cost-saving and life-saving, and I am grateful that the Supreme Court found on the side of evidence, logic, public health, and human rights. There has been enormous progress in the fight to end the HIV epidemic, and just last week the FDA approved the newest form of PrEP, injectable lenacapavir. Lenacapavir can be a transformative option, but only if it is available to people who want and need it, and today’s ruling can make that possible.”
Looking ahead, AVAC will continue working to ensure that PrEP access is not only protected but meaningfully expanded, particularly for the communities that have long faced systemic barriers to care. This includes advocating for a national PrEP program, strengthening provider and patient education, supporting implementation by community-led organizations, and holding insurers accountable for compliance. Today’s ruling offers a strong foundation to build from, and we remain committed to a future where HIV prevention is accessible, equitable, and fully resourced for all.
Today’s Supreme Court decision does confirm enormous power with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, which under the current administration is cause for significant concern. “In the midst of today’s victory, we must be tempered by what has happened with the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), as it could be a harbinger of what a Secretary of HHS can do to twist committees and task forces that should be composed of technical experts guided by science to ones that are guided by ideology, illogic and political whim,” said Warren.