The long awaited review of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) by the Supreme Court is in sight. On Monday, it was announced that the Supreme Court would rule on the bill during the 2011-2012 term. The Individual Mandate, requiring citizens to purchase healthcare or face a fine, is the controversial core of the legislation’s legal battle:
The president, a Democrat, has championed the individual mandate as a major accomplishment of his presidency and as a way to try to slow soaring health care costs while expanding coverage to the more than 30 million Americans without it.
The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Atlanta, ruled 2-1 last month in favor of 26 states and others that challenged the mandate for exceeding the power of Congress.
The current administration is convinced of the Individual Mandate’s constitutionality. According to Reuters, the administration had the option of asking the Court of Appeals to reconsider their position prior to the Supreme Court level, but the risk would have pushed back any Supreme Court ruling to the 2013 term.
The PPACA is potentially the most significant accomplishment of the Obama Administration, leading many political analysts to believe that the Supreme Court’s ruling will be among the deciding factors in the upcoming 2012 election. If the administration is as confident as they claim, it should come as no surprise that they wanted to push the ruling out before the major business of election campaigns begins.
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Pam Argeris is a thought leader in the Healthcare Industry and possesses extensive, hands-on experience with CMS compliance, and multiple regulatory bodies such as NCQA, JACHO, and DOI. In her role at Merrill Corp., Pam focuses on developing solutions for compliance and quality assurance, delivered in a cost effective manner to improve beneficiary and prospect communications. You can contact Pam at Pamela.Argeris@merrillcorp.com.
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