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The COVID-19 vaccine is free to all Americans thanks to one long-contested and embattled federal law – namely, the Affordable Care Act.
A number of preventive health care services are free because of a specific provision of the Affordable Care Act, Section 2713. By reducing financial barriers to preventive services like cancer screenings and well-child visits, it sought to encourage patients to utilize these services to identify and treat illnesses before they develop into more severe and costly conditions.
A lawsuit pending at a Texas district court, however, may put this provision in jeopardy. While the ACA has faced many legal challenges since its conception, the Kelley v. Becerra trial could end up hurting patients both in their wallets and access to care.
Boston University public health and economics researchers Paul Schafer and Alex Hoagland examined where the preventive care provision of the ACA succeeded and failed in reducing out-of-pocket costs for patients. They explain what patients stand to lose should this provision be struck down.
Also today:
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Vivian Lam
Health and Biomedicine Editor
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A provision of the Affordable Care Act makes it easier for patients to receive preventive care.
Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Digital Vision via Getty Images
Paul Shafer, Boston University; Alex Hoagland, Boston University
The Affordable Care Act has allowed many preventive health services, including cancer screenings and vaccines, to be free of charge. But legal challenges may lead to costly repercussions for patients.
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Science + Technology
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Andrew Maynard, Arizona State University
If you see the Tesla Bot as a joke or a harbinger of a dystopian future, you could be missing the real threat, which has more to do with Elon Musk’s power than robots run amok.
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James Webb, Florida International University
Gravity, mass and centrifugal force all contribute to the final shape of a planet.
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Environment + Energy
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Joan Fitzgerald, Northeastern University; Julian Agyeman, Tufts University
Two urban policy experts explain why taking down highways that have isolated low-income and minority neighborhoods for decades is an important part of the pending infrastructure bill.
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Ethics + Religion
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Kalpana Jain, The Conversation
Day 5 our Understanding Islam series. For some Muslim women, wearing a hijab can be a religious act but Muslim women’s clothing isn’t entirely about faith. It has been used – and is still used – as an assertion of identity.
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Rachel Mikva, Chicago Theological Seminary
‘Heartbeat’ abortion laws like the one enacted in Texas are often based on particular Christian views, but there are many religious perspectives on abortion. What do Jewish texts say?
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Jessica Roda, Georgetown University; Alexandra Stankovich, Université de Sherbrooke
The #MyOrthodoxLife movement challenges both mainstream and ultra-Orthodox media to tell more nuanced and complex stories about Jewish women.
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Economy + Business
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Sarah Thebaud, University of California Santa Barbara; Catherine Taylor, University of California Santa Barbara
New study finds that workplace hostility toward motherhood in STEM fields can deter even young, childless women from pursuing academic careers.
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Arts + Culture
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Laura Ingallinella, Wellesley College
One citation at a time, a professor and her students are crafting a more complete picture of Dante’s women.
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Education
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Mari Altshuler, Northwestern University
Children missed being with friends but liked the freedom to move around at home. These are some of the takeaways from an education researcher who talked to 30 kids ages 5-8.
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Health
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Venktesh Ramnath, University of California San Diego
A critical care doctor brings a frontlines perspective to the frustration of dealing firsthand with vaccine hesitancy and discusses the limitations of science and medicine.
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Politics + Society
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Susan H. Kamei, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
In the wake of 9/11, some called for rounding up whole groups of people viewed as potential threats to the nation. But Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta knew the U.S. had done that before.
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Trending on site
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Jay L. Zagorsky, Boston University
The country became the first to make bitcoin a formal part of its payments system, but whether it’ll catch on is another story.
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Deborah Woodcock, Clark University; Herb Meyer, National Park Service
Using remnants of fossilized trees, scientists and an artist figured out what the forest looked like long before humans existed.
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Brian Dean Abramson, Florida International University
Some states have a legal framework allowing “mature minors” to make their own health care decisions – but they apply it in different ways, and some don’t have it at all.
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