The ACA: What's to Come

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is, at best, complicated and, at worst, complicated and confusing.

I noticed that, after the Supreme Court's decision was announced, everyone in healthcare was asking, "What do you think?" and there has been nothing but crickets! Now, I think the core of this is that, first, we all want to avoid political pseudo-debates and arguments, and, second, there is still a fundamental lack of understanding about the impact of the ACA on the healthcare industry. No one is commenting because no one knows what to say.

I have yet to find something truly clear cut. (If you've got a resource, please share it!) However, to help those in our community looking for straight answers and explanations on the ACA, I did compile some editorial opinions from Cancernetwork.com. The first link is a very nice overview of the court's decision on the ACA. The others are commentaries on the ACA's impact on healthcare providers and cancer patients.

• "An Oncology Perspective on the Supreme Court's Pending Decision Regarding the Affordable Care Act" by Steven K. Stranne, MD, JD, and Matthew G. Halgren, Polsinelli Shughart, PC, Washington
• "Supreme Court Decision: Are We Oncologists Prepared for Its Ethical Implications?" by Paul R. Helft, MD, associate professor of medicine, Indiana University School of Medicine
• "Flaws and All, This Is a Start" by Michael Glode, MD, University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver
• "The Move to Bundled Payments Will Be Paradigm-Changing" by Bruce Minsky, MD, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston
• "Cancer Will No Longer Be a Financial Death Blow to Many Patients" by James B. Yu, MD, Yale School of Medicine, Department of Therapeutic Radiology
• "This Accelerates the Path to a Single-Payer System" by Nora Janjan, MD, National Center for Policy Analysis
• "Spiraling Costs: Who Will Address the Role of Medicolegal Drivers?" by Derek Raghavan, MD, PhD, FACP, FRACP, president, Levine Cancer Institute, Carolinas HealthCare System

What do you think about the ACA? Are you, like me, worn out by the political pontificating? Do you just want to have it explained clearly without party lines muddling it up? Or do you have a firm grasp on it? If you do, please share your thoughts and resources with the community. My fear is this hasn't changed a thing for patients battling chronic health issues.