Attorney General Bonta Underscores Need for Preventive Healthcare Access

OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta today issued the following statement on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit hearing oral argument in Braidwood Mgmt v. Becerra:

“Access to quality, affordable preventive healthcare can mean the difference between life and death,” said Attorney General Bonta. “From prenatal care to cancer screenings, these are the lifesaving services that are at stake if the ACA’s preventive care mandate isn’t restored. At the California Department of Justice, we will not waver when millions of Americans’ lives are at risk. That’s why I proudly joined a bipartisan coalition to safeguard this mandate and will continue to vigorously fight to ensure accessible and equitable healthcare for all Americans.”

Background:

On June 27, 2023, Attorney General Bonta and 24 attorneys general filed an amicus brief in support of the Biden Administration’s defense of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) preventive care mandate. In the amicus brief, the attorneys general wrote that the ACA’s preventive healthcare mandate:

• Promotes access to critical healthcare services, such as testing, screenings, and interventions that could prevent avoidable illnesses and stop the spread of infectious diseases.
• Lowers financial barriers and improves economic and health outcomes for marginalized communities — including women, LGBTQ+ individuals, immigrants, and people of color — that have been traditionally underserved by health systems.
• Reduces the financial and other burdens placed on state public health systems and allows those systems to address other serious public health issues. By focusing on preventive rather than reactive care, state health infrastructures are better able to focus on improving population health and preventing the contraction of illness.

Prior to the filing of the amicus brief, a Texas district court struck down part of the ACA mandate last March in a ruling Attorney General Bonta described as short-sighted and dangerous for ordinary Americans.