Supreme Court ruling this summer could change everything
WASHINGTON—Not since 1965, with the advent Medicare, has the U.S. experienced such a tumultuous time in healthcare policy. It is both exciting and a bit frightening, to all involved.
With the Supreme Court oral arguments behind us, the industry looks ahead now to a ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), expected sometime this summer. Meanwhile, Washington is abuzz, trying to figure out what that ruling might be – and what it would mean to the billion-dollar programs already underway because of the health reform law.
Republican presidents named five of the nine Supreme Court justices, giving many who oppose the ACA hope that the Republican-majority court might strike down the law.
Meanwhile, at the grass-roots level – away from Capitol Hill and all the protestors, flags, horns and chants – is the everyday work conducted by care providers, state health officials, vendors, certification organizations and everyone else involved with implementing healthcare reform, as it has been defined since ACA was signed into law in 2010.
Virtually every state in the union has applied for millions in funding from the federal government to help implement state health IT systems strong enough and fast enough to process the millions of new Medicaid beneficiaries anticipated under ACA in 2014. Some of these states have been operating on old, worn-out legacy systems for decades. Many who operate those systems say that, with or without ACA, updating of state Medicaid HIT systems was desperately needed.
Providers have spent millions investing in healthcare IT capable of applying meaningful strategies to improving care. Vendors have spent years developing electronic health record products to handle those requirements, and have spent millions to become certified for meaningful use.
Time is of the essence, for all of those involved who want to accomplish meaningful use at the stages specified. Very few stakeholders have the luxury of waiting to see what the Supreme Court outcome will be before moving forward. They’ve put time and money on the line.
Whatever the Supreme Court decides, it will undoubtedly have an enormous impact on programs underway. If the high court rules against the Affordable Care Act, it’s not going to be so affordable after all. Millions ¬– even billions – in investments to implement it will have been in vain, and an unavoidable financial blow to both those who oppose and those who favor the ACA.
