Latest attempt to chip away at ‘Obamacare’ questions preventive health care

By KEVIN McGILL
Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court is considering whether the government properly put in place requirements that health insurance plans affecting an estimated 150 million Americans must cover certain types of preventive care. At stake in arguments heard Monday at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans are coverage requirements for HIV prevention and some types of cancer screenings. The requirements were adopted by federal health officials under provisions of former President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law, sometimes referred to as Obamacare. A federal judge last year said the requirements violated the Constitution because they came from a volunteer task force, not from constitutionally appointed officials.