March 30, 2023 — A federal judge in Texas on Thursday struck down the preventive services mandate of the Affordable Care Act, ruling that the need to provide these services violated the religious rights of the plaintiffs.
One of the plaintiffs who filed the lawsuit is Steven Hotze, MD, a Texas doctor and conservative talk radio host. He said providing health insurance coverage for medication taken daily to prevent HIV to his employees would make him complicit in behaviors that he said violate his religious beliefs.
The ruling applies nationwide, and public health experts were quick to criticize the decision.
“The human cost…
