Realities Drive Change In Health Care Delivery

Two years to the month after Pres Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the US Supreme Court will take up the controversial issue during oral arguments in March. A decision is expected before the 2012 presidential elections, and likely during the summer. Love it or hate it, PPACA legislation and related regulations have set the health care industry on an uncharted course of changes that, if implemented fully, will transform how health care is delivered and paid for. Federal appeals courts have split on the individual mandate issue and many states are waiting for the Supreme Court ruling before establishing exchanges from which individuals may purchase insurance that the law requires in 2014. Regardless of how businesses view health care reform, there is little doubt that the contentious issue will continue to dominate headlines for years to come.