Preventive

• Het Amerikaanse Hooggerechtshof heeft met een stemming van 6-3 geoordeeld dat de Preventive Services Task Force bevoegd blijft om aan te bevelen welke gezondheidsdiensten kosteloos gedekt moeten worden onder de Affordable Care Act. • De uitspraak bevestigt dat het onafhankelijke medische orgaan de macht behoudt om standaarden vast te stellen voor de dekking van preventieve zorg voor miljoenen Amerikanen met ACA-verzekeringsplannen. • De beslissing heeft invloed op het lopende debat over het gezondheidsbeleid, nu vijfenzeventig nationale medische organisaties gelijktijdig de Senaat hebben opgeroepen om bepalingen voor de betaling van Medicare-artsen op te nemen in het budgetreconciliatiepakket.

• The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to uphold the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force’s authority to recommend no-cost preventive services under the Affordable Care Act. • The decision overturned a district judge’s injunction that had blocked the administration from enforcing grant flow restorations related to the task force. • The ruling preserves mandates for insurers to cover recommended screenings and vaccines without patient cost-sharing, impacting millions of Americans.

• Research analyzing U.S. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data found that 31.9% of adults reported social isolation and 8.2% reported physical isolation, with both often overlapping. • Isolation was strongly associated with material deprivation including food insecurity and trouble paying bills, with 82.1% of physically isolated adults experiencing financial hardship compared to 30.9% of those not physically isolated. • Both types of isolation were linked to lower odds of receiving preventive health services including COVID-19, flu, and pneumococcal vaccinations, as well as cancer screenings, though financial hardship partly explained these associations.

• The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services announced expanded coverage for advanced lipid panels and inflammatory biomarker testing starting April 1, 2026, for beneficiaries age 50 and older. • The expansion removes prior authorization requirements for up to two tests annually, reflecting new evidence that early cardiovascular risk detection improves outcomes and reduces emergency hospitalizations by 18%. • CMS estimates the policy will affect approximately 28 million Medicare beneficiaries and cost $120 million annually while potentially preventing 8,000 heart attacks and strokes per year.