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Gothamist A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Gothamist Listen Live Donate Gothamist A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. Gothamist Listen Live Donate Gothamist A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC. NYC health providers warn ‘HIV cases will go up’ if Texas ruling curbs access to PrEP FacebookTwitterRedditEmail Donate News NYC HEALTH PROVIDERS WARN ‘HIV CASES WILL GO UP’ IF TEXAS RULING CURBS ACCESS TO PREP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Caroline Lewis Published Apr 7, 2023 41 comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Share FacebookTwitterRedditEmail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Never miss a story Email address By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms. NIAID via Flickr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Caroline Lewis Published Apr 7, 2023 41 comments -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Share FacebookTwitterRedditEmail -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We rely on your support to make local news available to all Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2023. Donate today Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations Health care providers and advocates for LGBTQ+ New Yorkers are speaking out about how a recent federal court ruling in Texas could affect patients’ access to a range of preventive health services. That includes PrEP, or pre-exposure prophylaxis, a pill that helps block the spread of HIV. Representatives of Housing Works, the Gay Men’s Health Crisis and Callen-Lorde Community Health Center joined other advocates and elected officials at a virtual panel Thursday to discuss the potential fallout from a decision last week in the case Braidwood Management v. Becerra. On March 30, Judge Reed O’Connor of the U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Texas struck down a provision of the Affordable Care Act requiring most health plans to cover preventive health services at no cost to their members. “Although we live in a state with more robust [health care] protections, we can’t take anything for granted,” Peter Meacher, chief medical officer at Callen-Lorde, said at Thursday’s panel. The ruling specifically applies to preventive services that were recommended for coverage by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force after the ACA was enacted in 2010. That includes PrEP as well as screenings for substance use disorders, HIV and certain types of cancer. “Surely, HIV cases will go up if this is permitted to go through,” Dr. Archie Jao, the medical director at Housing Works, said at the panel. “Surely, morbidity and mortality will also go up in our patients.” Meacher of Callen-Lorde worried the decision could affect public health in the city overall. “We finally have a path to end the [HIV/AIDS] epidemic,” he said. “Why on earth would this progress be threatened now?” Reducing insurance coverage for PrEP could result in 2,000 more HIV infections per year nationwide among men who have sex with men, according to a Yale study on the potential effects of the lawsuit. The researchers found that PrEP currently prevents about 3,200 HIV transmissions per year among that population. The Biden administration is appealing the Texas decision. But even if it’s upheld, it’s still unclear how big of an impact it will have on New York. The state has its own laws around insurance coverage for preventive care that will minimize some of the fallout. For instance, Gov. Kathy Hochul signed legislation at the end of last year requiring New York health plans to cover PrEP. Panelists said they would advocate for more robust state insurance rules, given the threat to federal protections posed by the lawsuit. In a similar way, the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade last year led New York to reinforce its own laws promoting abortion access. But state insurance requirements don’t apply to the large, self-insured health plans offered by some employers – meaning this ruling could erode preventive health coverage for New Yorkers on those plans and result in out-of-pocket fees for services that were once free. The Texas case was first filed in 2020 by the health care employer Braidwood Management and other Christian-owned businesses. They argued that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force – a national panel of experts disease prevention – doesn’t have the authority to determine which services should be covered under the ACA. They also argued that coverage requirements for PrEP and other HIV services, in particular, violate the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. This particular Texas court district has recently been in the news for a separate case that could impact health care in New York. The judge in that case is weighing whether to block access to the abortion medication mifepristone nationwide. Eric Linzer, president and CEO of the New York Health Plan Association, said in an interview on Thursday that his organization doesn’t support the decision to roll back coverage requirements for insurance companies. “It’s important to ensure that individuals have the ability to get the screenings they need to prevent more serious conditions,” Linzer said, adding that the ruling could create confusion for patients. He added that health plans are still awaiting more federal and state guidance on what the ruling means for them. Tagged Health and Science health care new york city -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Caroline Lewis Caroline Lewis is on the health care beat for WNYC and Gothamist — and also covers cannabis, both with an eye towards equity and accountability. She was previously a health care reporter for Crain’s New York Business. Lewis has a degree from the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and is a native New Yorker, although she has left occasionally. She did a Fulbright in Chile in 2011 and is fluent in Spanish. She now resides in Brooklyn. 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