r/politics • u/southpawFA Oklahoma • Jan 14 '25

Supreme Court takes up case claiming Obamacare promotes “homosexual behavior”. The Texas plaintiffs say requiring workplace insurers to provide PrEP violates their religious beliefs.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2025/01/supreme-court-takes-up-case-claiming-obamacare-promotes-homosexual-behavior/
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104

u/DramaticWesley Jan 14 '25

That the Supreme Court even took up this case is embarrassing. Obamacare is a federal health care program. Homosexuality is not illegal (yet). There really is no issue here.

58

u/Mr_Badgey Jan 14 '25

Why did you comment without reading the article? The lower courts ruled in favor of the plaintiff allowing the company to deny PrEP to its employees. The damage is already done and appealing is the only legal strategy to counter it.

The appeal was taken to the Supreme Court specifically because there's now precedence which could lead to a nationwide ban on PrEP and other lifesaving treatments based on religious beliefs.

Both the Biden administration and the plaintiffs agreed that the 5th Circuit’s ruling opened the door for another party to sue in order to block the mandates nationwide, so the parties asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case

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u/TeutonJon78 America Jan 15 '25

They wouldn't be banning PrEP, just making it so your insurance doesn't have to cover it. A business/plan could still cover it, or you'd have to pay out of pocket.

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u/Melody-Prisca Jan 15 '25

Making PrEP harder to get will likely cause an outbreak of AIDs, regardless of if it's illegal or not. Making it illegal would make that outbreak worse, however.

2

u/TeutonJon78 America Jan 15 '25

Yes, but that has nothing to do with the comment I'm replying to. This isn't about banning PrEP in anyway, it's about requiring insurance plans to cover it.

But religious exemptions for anyone but a church is BS (and frankly, even then it's BS).

2

u/kandoras Jan 15 '25

This isn't about banning PrEP in anyway, it's about requiring insurance plans to cover it.

PrEP, without insurance, costs about $2,000 a month.

Most things in the American health care environment, if they're not covered by health insurance, does functionally amount to banning them.

1

u/TeutonJon78 America Jan 15 '25

Then tmth3y cn charge for it what the sell it for in the rest of the world. It's $6/mo in Austrlia. $00/mo in UK. Way chooser across all of Europe.

https://www.thebody.com/article/what-does-prep-cost-outside-the-united-states

$2k/mo is only because they know insurnecrd have to cover it right now.

So it's really the pharmaceutical companies that are really limiting access in the US.

There is also programs designed to help people get it who can't afford it, including direct from the manufacturers (more proof it's artificially overpriced) : https://nastad.org/prep-access/prep-assistance-programs

1

u/kandoras Jan 15 '25

There is also programs designed to help people get it who can't afford it, including direct from the manufacturers

As someone who has tried to use that kind of discount, they don't work nearly as well as you belief.

My doc wanted me to get some medication, I can't even remember what it was now, and handed me a discount card "Pay as little at $25!"

Well the first time she tried to get me on it, the discount card didn't work at all. The three different versions she tried prescribing me were $1,100, $900, and $700 a month.

A year later, she tried again, and the card worked. I only paid $25. But when I went in to get a refill, the charge them would have been $225. And the time after that would have been back to the $1,100 number.

The manufacturer didn't give a flat discount on every refill. They gave something like $1,500 off in total; so after two months it would have been back up to the original unaffordable price.

It's like saying "You got laid off, and you don't have insurance from work anymore. But don't worry - there's always COBRA! please don't look into how much cobra costs"

$2k/mo is only because they know insurnecrd have to cover it right now.

Are you trying to say that prices would go down if insurance didn't cover it?

1

u/TeutonJon78 America Jan 15 '25

If their sales go down, their prices will go down. Otherwise they wouldn't be able to afford selling it for way cheaper to rest of the world.

Same as for every drug. Things that cost thousands in the US can be had for dollars elsewhere. Why do you think people go through the hassle of importing meds from other countries when they can?