Federal appeals court freezes decision striking down free preventive health services

• About six in 10 people with private health insurance, or roughly 100 million, use ACA-covered preventive health services each year, per KFF.

Details: The conservative-leaning 5th Circuit issued an order granting an administrative stay while it reviews the case.

• The Justice Department had appealed O'Connor's March decision, kicking off a legal process that could wind up at the Supreme Court.

What this means: At least for now, no-cost coverage for preventive services is still required under law.

Catch up fast: O'Connor last September had ruled that ACA's mandate that employers cover HIV preventive treatments violated a Christian-owned company's religious rights.

• Plaintiffs in the case then urged O'Connor — who in 2018 ruled that the ACA was unconstitutional — to ultimately get rid of the ACA's preventive services requirement.
• O'Connor in March struck down the requirement, arguing that the USPSTF is not appointed by the Congress, and thus lacks the authority to say which services insurers must cover.