IAPAC Applauds US Supreme Court Ruling in Braidwood v. Kennedy
Statement from IAPAC President/CEO Dr. José M. Zuniga
27 June 2025
Today’s decision by the US Supreme Court to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services mandate in Braidwood v. Kennedy is a victory for public health, health equity, and every individual who relies on access to evidence-based preventive care without financial barriers. In affirming the US Preventive Services Task Force’s authority to set coverage requirements under the Affordable Care Act, the ruling also affirms that preventive services, from cancer screenings to HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), must remain covered without cost-sharing.
For the HIV community, this decision carries immense weight. PrEP, whether taken orally or as a long-acting injectable, is a powerful tool to prevent new HIV acquisition. Ensuring that these services remain available without out-of-pocket costs is essential to reaching communities most affected by HIV, particularly Black, Latino, and Indigenous gay and bisexual men, transgender individuals, and others disproportionately impacted by structural inequities. The US Supreme Court’s decision protects the progress made toward ending the HIV epidemic in the United States.
The timing of this ruling is especially important as the field anticipates the introduction of lenacapavir, a long-acting injectable PrEP that requires administration just twice a year. Lenacapavir has the potential to transform HIV prevention. But its success will depend on a health system that supports equitable access and today’s decision ensures that system remains intact. To be clear, there are cost barriers to lenacapavir access that must be addressed beyond the Affordable Care Act’s preventive services mandate so that it can be scaled up strategically to reach those who need it most. Today’s decision is not a silver bullet that in and of itself resolves inequities in PrEP access.
While we celebrate this decision, we must also not lose sight of the challenges ahead. Access to preventive care is about more than coverage – it also requires health literacy, workforce readiness, trusted community engagement, and attention to social determinants of health. We must continue to innovate and invest in holistic HIV prevention strategies that combine biomedical tools with community-informed solutions. Sustained commitment at the federal, state, and municipal levels will be critical to ensure that rights upheld on paper are realized in practice.
IAPAC and the Fast-Track Cities network reaffirm our commitment to leveraging this moment as an opportunity to expand our shared mission to end the HIV epidemic. We call on all stakeholders across sectors to work collaboratively to make HIV prevention generally and PrEP access specifically, universal, stigma-free, and equitable. The US Supreme Court has spoken, but the responsibility to act remains ours. Let us meet this moment with resolve, compassion, and unwavering focus.
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Representing 30,000 members, IAPAC is the largest association of clinicians and allied health professionals working to end the epidemics of HIV and tuberculosis, as well as eliminating HBV and HCV, by 2030. IAPAC is also a core technical partner to the Fast-Track Cities network. For more information about IAPAC, please visit: https://www.iapac.org/
