Posted on April 12, 2012 by Craig Becker
My two 20-something boys like to call me fat, bald and old. I will own up to two of those descriptions, but I will let you decide which two!
However, I prefer to call myself an archivist, which means I have been around. Realizing there is nothing new under the sun and generally nothing is so cataclysmic that life as we know it ends is very comforting and allows one to see things more clearly. As my father used to say, the Republic will continue to stand, no matter what comes down the pike.
Recently, there has been much ado made about the questioning and direction at the U.S. Supreme Court over the constitutionality of the healthcare reform act. If you were handicapping the arguments, you would think the vote is going to four liberal judges voting to uphold the law, four conservative judges to throw it out and one holding the future of health care in his hands.
I, for one, don’t hold much stock in oral arguments or handicapping the U.S. Supreme Court. They have a habit of issuing judgments that are both opposite of the popular beliefs and, more importantly, in the best interest of the American people. There have been some duds, like the Dred Scott decision and, more recently, the Citizen’s United case, but on the whole, I have taken great comfort in the court being the bulwark against extremism on either side.
But that isn’t my point. I believe no matter what the court decides, health care, especially hospital care, already is moving in a different direction. We are seeing the marketplace push hospitals towards more patient-centered care, with ACOs and ACO-like systems beginning to sprout up all over the place. Hospitals are looking at ways to keep their communities away from their doors – in a positive way – through palliative care, working with the chronically ill and coordinating care with other caregivers.
As I said, I have great faith in the Supreme Court to do the right thing and I have no doubt the healthcare field also will do the right thing. The Republic will stand!
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