1. Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act
On Thursday, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld President Obama’s health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ruling kept intact the majority of the legislation by agreeing with the key provision that “the requirement for nearly all Americans to secure insurance is permissible under Congress’s taxing authority.” This portion of the law, known as the individual mandate, would require Americans to obtain health insurance by 2014.
The opinion was written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and included a complex discussion about the constitutionality of the law. It indicated that while the mandate itself was deemed unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, it was ultimately upheld because the penalty for not having health insurance is a tax, which is a constitutional act that Congress can make.
Chief Justice Roberts was joined by the four liberal justices on the Supreme Court in supporting the ruling. In their dissenting opinion, the other four justices stated that the law should be rejected in its entirety.
Source: The Washington Post
2. Responses from key leaders and experts about the SCOTUS decision
Many physician and health organizations applauded the announcement from the Supreme Court on the ACA, including the AAMC. In a press release, AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D. expressed the organization’s pleasure with the announcement stating, “This law is an important step toward an improved health care system that gives all Americans access to the care they need when they need it.” His remarks pointed beyond the main provision of the individual mandate, emphasizing that the decision to uphold the ACA “allows the important work of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and the programs supported by the Prevention and Public Health Fund to continue.” Finally, Dr. Kirch reiterated the need for increased funding for residency slots to prepare future physicians who can ensure that Americans have access to health care as well as health insurance.
Other organizations, such as Kaiser Health News, brought together leading health policy experts to sit down and discuss the details of the ruling and its broader impact on the U.S. health care system. You can view the enlightening discussion at the link provided below.
Source: The Association of American Medical Colleges
Video: Kaiser Health News
3. Moving forward: What is around the bend in implementing the ACA?
For patients, all of the provisions that have been enacted by the law will remain in place, including the ability for children under age 26 to remain on their parents’ health insurance plan, the restriction on lifetime limits, and protections for children with preexisting conditions to gain insurance. In 2014, there will be a requirement for Americans to obtain health insurance along with the implementation of state health insurance exchanges and federal subsidies to help make insurance more affordable.
For the physicians and the health care system, this means that there are continued investments to increase the amount of insured patients and to spark innovations to increase the quality and efficiency of the health care system overall. For example, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation will continue to be funded through the law, along with other efforts to improve health care delivery. However, with the increase in insured patients and current number of physicians, the nation’s physician shortage will be expected to grow significantly in the upcoming years.
For many states, there will be both a rush to match requirements set in place by the ACA as well as a new ability to reject some of the insurance expansions that the law seeks to implement. In the next 16 months, states will be expected to meet requirements such as the launch of new state-based marketplaces where consumers will shop for coverage, and the fining of employers with 50 or more workers who fail to provide affordable coverage. For some states that waited to hear the ruling before beginning implementation, there will be a lot of work needed to meet deadlines for progress on these provisions. States will, however, have the option to not take part in the Medicaid expansion, which was deemed unconstitutional in Justice Roberts’ decision. A further discussion of this issue is included below.
Sources:
The Washington Post
The Association of American Medical Colleges
Kaiser Health New
Your loyal Legislative Affairs team,
Brad Hunter – Northeast Region
Robert Sanchez – Central Region
Sean Vanlandingham – Southern Region
Claire Sadler – Western Region
William Teeter – National Delegate
On Thursday, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld President Obama’s health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA). The ruling kept intact the majority of the legislation by agreeing with the key provision that “the requirement for nearly all Americans to secure insurance is permissible under Congress’s taxing authority.” This portion of the law, known as the individual mandate, would require Americans to obtain health insurance by 2014.
The opinion was written by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and included a complex discussion about the constitutionality of the law. It indicated that while the mandate itself was deemed unconstitutional under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution, it was ultimately upheld because the penalty for not having health insurance is a tax, which is a constitutional act that Congress can make.
Chief Justice Roberts was joined by the four liberal justices on the Supreme Court in supporting the ruling. In their dissenting opinion, the other four justices stated that the law should be rejected in its entirety.
Source: The Washington Post
2. Responses from key leaders and experts about the SCOTUS decision
Many physician and health organizations applauded the announcement from the Supreme Court on the ACA, including the AAMC. In a press release, AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D. expressed the organization’s pleasure with the announcement stating, “This law is an important step toward an improved health care system that gives all Americans access to the care they need when they need it.” His remarks pointed beyond the main provision of the individual mandate, emphasizing that the decision to uphold the ACA “allows the important work of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI), the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), and the programs supported by the Prevention and Public Health Fund to continue.” Finally, Dr. Kirch reiterated the need for increased funding for residency slots to prepare future physicians who can ensure that Americans have access to health care as well as health insurance.
Other organizations, such as Kaiser Health News, brought together leading health policy experts to sit down and discuss the details of the ruling and its broader impact on the U.S. health care system. You can view the enlightening discussion at the link provided below.
Source: The Association of American Medical Colleges
Video: Kaiser Health News
3. Moving forward: What is around the bend in implementing the ACA?
For patients, all of the provisions that have been enacted by the law will remain in place, including the ability for children under age 26 to remain on their parents’ health insurance plan, the restriction on lifetime limits, and protections for children with preexisting conditions to gain insurance. In 2014, there will be a requirement for Americans to obtain health insurance along with the implementation of state health insurance exchanges and federal subsidies to help make insurance more affordable.
For the physicians and the health care system, this means that there are continued investments to increase the amount of insured patients and to spark innovations to increase the quality and efficiency of the health care system overall. For example, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation will continue to be funded through the law, along with other efforts to improve health care delivery. However, with the increase in insured patients and current number of physicians, the nation’s physician shortage will be expected to grow significantly in the upcoming years.
For many states, there will be both a rush to match requirements set in place by the ACA as well as a new ability to reject some of the insurance expansions that the law seeks to implement. In the next 16 months, states will be expected to meet requirements such as the launch of new state-based marketplaces where consumers will shop for coverage, and the fining of employers with 50 or more workers who fail to provide affordable coverage. For some states that waited to hear the ruling before beginning implementation, there will be a lot of work needed to meet deadlines for progress on these provisions. States will, however, have the option to not take part in the Medicaid expansion, which was deemed unconstitutional in Justice Roberts’ decision. A further discussion of this issue is included below.
Sources:
The Washington Post
The Association of American Medical Colleges
Kaiser Health New
Your loyal Legislative Affairs team,
Brad Hunter – Northeast Region
Robert Sanchez – Central Region
Sean Vanlandingham – Southern Region
Claire Sadler – Western Region
William Teeter – National Delegate