5 Transformative Changes to Expect in Healthcare from US Courts in 2024
TL/DR –
In the US, health policy experts are closely monitoring five key court cases in 2024 that could significantly impact health policies. One of the most significant cases is the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine’s lawsuit challenging the FDA-approved abortion drug, mifepristone, with implications on the future of women’s reproductive rights. Other cases include an examination of state abortion restrictions, an examination of the Affordable Care Act, a case involving pharmaceutical companies challenging Medicare’s new drug pricing powers, and a lawsuit against state bans on gender-affirming care for minors.
Health Policies to Encounter Legal Scuffles in 2024: Five Major Battles to Watch
In 2024, courts are preparing to pass judgments on health policies – a combination of new ones such as Medicare’s power to negotiate drug prices and old ones like the Affordable Care Act’s insurance rules. These court decisions, some related to politically contentious issues like abortion bans and gender-affirming care, are of immense significance in an election year. Here are the five legal battles that health care policy experts are closely tracking:
1. High Court’s Potential Limitation on Medical Abortions
The Supreme Court will consider in March a case against the Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, an anti-abortion physician group, who are challenging the accessibility of a drug frequently used in medical abortions. The case reflects on the physicians’ legal standing to challenge the FDA’s approval of mifepristone, a drug used for ending pregnancy, which has seen increased access via telehealth appointments and at-home consumption.
2. State Abortion Constraints Under New Scrutiny
In April, the Supreme Court will hear a second abortion case concerning state abortion bans and the necessary exceptions. Today, 14 states have total abortion bans, and 11 others restrict the procedure at specific pregnancy stages. The legal battle could redefine “health exceptions” to nationwide abortion bans.
3. Religious Groups Target Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has faced over 2,000 court cases since its implementation in 2010. The recent case, Braidwood Management v Becerra, in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals challenges one of ACA’s most prominent provisions – free preventive care for all insured members, including contraception, PrEP, and cancer screenings.
4. Parents File Lawsuit Against State Bans on Gender-Affirming Care for Teens
Recent years have seen at least 23 states pass laws restricting or prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors. The bans affect approximately 100,000 transgender teens, according to UCLA’s Williams Institute. Parents and major medical associations are challenging these state bans in court as a form of sex discrimination targeting transgender individuals.
5. Pharma Giants Challenge Medicare’s New Drug Price Negotiation Powers
Several leading manufacturers, including Merck, Novo Nordisk, and AstraZeneca, are suing Medicare over its new drug price negotiation powers. Medicare is expected to start negotiation with drugmakers and release its opening bids on lower prices for 10 of the most expensive, commonly prescribed drugs. This lawsuit could affect the future of stubbornly high drug prices for the federal government and older Americans.
With health care prices, the future of Medicare, and abortion rights among the top concerns on voters’ minds, these controversial court cases could be decided just ahead of the November elections.
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