Plans will keep preventive screening benefits even if Supreme Court zaps ACA provision, exec predicts

By Allison Bell | Originally posted on BenefitsPro

Two employers sued over the health law mandate that requires preventive care coverage but a testing firm CEO think other forces now shape the coverage.

The head of a screening test firm thinks that quality rating programs and market forces will cause employers and other payers to continue to cover common cancer screening tests, even if the U.S. Supreme Court kills the process that put the tests in the Affordable Care Act preventive health services package.

Kevin Conroy, the chief executive officer of Exact Sciences, talked about the forces shaping preventive services benefits at employer plans and other plans Wednesday, during a conference call with securities analysts.

No matter what courts do to the Affordable Care Act, "payers are highly motivated to get their patients screened," Conroy told the analysts.

The backdrop: The ACA requires all major medical insurance policies sold since March 23, 2010, and all self-funded employer health plans started since that date to cover a standard package of preventive services package without imposing deductibles, co-payments or other cost-sharing requirements on the patients.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is one of the bodies that can recommend adding procedures to the ACA preventive services package. One of the procedures it put in is colon cancer screenings.