State Legislative Trends for Preventive Services in the Face of ACA Uncertainty
One aim of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is to reduce out-of-pocket costs to consumers for important preventive services such as vaccinations and cancer screenings. However, the future of the ACA remains uncertain in the face of federal legislative, judicial, and regulatory challenges. In a recent piece in Inquiry: The Journal of Health Care Organization, Provision, and Financing, Professor Gakh and UNLV colleagues and students examined state legislative trends related to preventive services. They found that most state bills regarding preventive services attempted to expand access to such services. However, unlike the ACA, many bills single out specific preventive services without fully incorporating evidence-based recommendations. This approach may deviate from experts’ recommendations and increase variability in preventive services coverage and cost across the states.
