Texas Judge Says HIV Drug Mandate Violates Religious Freedom

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A federal judge in Texas ruled that a provision of the Affordable Care Act that mandates free coverage of groundbreaking drugs that prevent HIV infection violates the religious beliefs of a Christian-owned company.

news.bloomberglaw.com
Texas Judge Says HIV Drug Mandate Violates Religious Freedom (1)
A federal judge in Texas ruled that a provision of the Affordable Care Act that mandates free coverage of groundbreaking drugs that prevent HIV infection violates the religious beliefs of a Christi...
8:46 AM · Sep 7, 2022

https://news.bloomberglaw.com/daily-labor-report/judge-says-hiv-drug-coverage-violates-religious-freedom

A federal judge in Texas ruled that a provision of the Affordable Care Act that mandates free coverage of groundbreaking drugs that prevent HIV infection violates the religious beliefs of a Christian-owned company.

US District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth on Wednesday granted summary judgment to Braidwood Management Inc. in its challenge to coverage of Gilead Sciences Inc.’s Truvada and Descovy. The two pre-exposure prophylactic drugs, commonly known as PrEP, are taken daily by hundreds of thousands of Americans, particularly men who have sex with men.

O’Connor reserved deciding the “appropriate remedy” for the resolving the claim, and it’s unclear what impact the ruling will have beyond the plaintiff company, which employs about 70 people.

The judge, a George W. Bush appointee, also ruled the US Preventive Services Task Force, which recommended PrEP be added to the ACA’s list of covered preventive measures, was not constitutionally empowered to authorize the drug’s inclusion. O’Connor also reserved ruling on the appropriate remedy for dealing with the alleged violation.

The US Department of Health and Human Services, the defendant in the suit, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

*snip*



Insanity.