The health care reform debate rages on as the Supreme Court continues to deliberate on whether or not the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutionally sound.
The health care reform debate rages on as the Supreme Court continues to deliberate on whether or not the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is constitutionally sound.
The ramifications of whatever outcome is eventually reached are far-reaching, says Daniel Shuchman of Forbes. In his recent OP/ED piece “A Right to Health Care, But No Right to Pay For It?” Shuchman goes on to say that “the implications are potentially more troubling for the future of economic liberty than the individual mandate itself,” and even presents a hypothetical patient/doctor conversation that could become the norm if the proposed reform takes place.
The Wall Street Journal’s John Cochrane believes that, regardless of the outcome of the Supreme Court decision on Obamacare, we will all still be left with a broken healthcare system. Why? Because, according to Cochrane, the ACA fails to address the root causes of the current broken system, such as skewed physician incentives, inconsistent pricing, and the simple fact that health insurance is not restricted to catastrophic coverage.
Washington Post writer Olga Khazan reminds us of another aspect of the Supreme Court deliberations. Remember those health insurance exchanges — the “marketplaces” for health plans that were established by the ACA? Well, many government contractors are beginning to wonder whether their efforts will yield anything at all. With so much hinging on the decision of the Supreme Court, it looks like “many of the health care exchanges will stop.”
But despite the arguments for and against Obamacare (and in addition to those who would like to defend the status quo), the simple fact is that there are only nine opinions that matter. Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Samuel Alito represent two of those opinions. Here are some of their concerns with the ACA as it stands now:
Chief Justice John Roberts: “If I understand the law, the policies that you’re requiring people to purchase ... must contain provision for maternity and newborn care, pediatric services and substance use treatment. It seems to me that you cannot say that everybody is going to need ... substance use treatment or pediatric services, and yet that is part of what you require them to purchase.”
Justice Samuel Alito: “The mandate is forcing these people (young, healthy individuals) to provide a huge subsidy to the insurance companies for other purposes that the act wishes to serve ... isn’t it the case that what this mandate is really doing is not requiring the people who are subject to it to pay for the services that they are going to consume? It is requiring them to subsidize services that will be received by somebody else.”
What are your opinions on the Affordable Care Act?
New Insights on Breast Cancer Outcomes Among Sexual, Gender Minorities
December 7th 2023Despite there being a great demand for data collection on sexual orientation and gender identity in the cancer space, individuals who identify as a sexual and gender minority remain poorly represented.
Read More
Oncology Onward: A Conversation With Thyme Care CEO and Cofounder Robin Shah
October 2nd 2023Robin Shah, CEO of Thyme Care, which he founded in 2020 with Bobby Green, MD, president and chief medical officer, joins hosts Emeline Aviki, MD, MBA, and Stephen Schleicher, MD, MBA, to discuss his evolution as an entrepreneur in oncology care innovation and his goal of positively changing how patients experience the cancer system.
Listen
Refining Precision Prevention for Benign Breast Disease
December 7th 2023Many questions remain surrounding accurately classifying the risk of developing invasive breast cancer associated with the benign breast disease diagnoses of nonproliferative lesions and proliferative changes without atypia.
Read More
Insufficient Data, Disparities Plague Lung Cancer Risk Factor Documentation
September 24th 2023On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we speak with the senior author of a study published in the September 2023 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® on the importance of adequate and effective lung cancer risk factor documentation to determine a patient's eligibility for screening.
Listen
Negotiations to extend US global HIV/AIDS relief work are deadlocked; the Biden administration delayed its rule on the proposed menthol cigarette ban until March 2024 after lobbying by civil rights groups; federal agencies have partnered with a digital health company to create an at-home test-to-treat program for flu and COVID-19.
Read More
ASH 2023 to Highlight Options in Care for Blood Diseases—for Those Who Have Access
December 7th 2023The 65th American Society of Hematology (ASH) Annual Meeting & Exposition, which runs Friday through Tuesday in the San Diego Convention Center, will showcase the growing number of treatment choices in blood cancers and disorders.
Read More