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June 29, 2012 — The U.S. Supreme Court yesterday, in a controversial 5 to 4 decision, declared the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) to be constitutional, including the much disputed “individual mandate” provision which requires individuals to purchase health insurance coverage.
In a special video report, American Chiropractic Association (ACA) Senior Vice President for Government Relations John Falardeau and ACA political consultant Rick Miller discuss today’s ruling and how it affects patient access to the services of doctors of chiropractic.
The long-awaited court decision removes legal obstacles to the full implementation of the law on a timeline very close to what was planned when PPACA was signed into law in March 2010. Read ACA’s full news release to the chiropractic profession here.
A critically important result of the court’s decision is the preservation of Section 2706, which establishes a “provider non-discrimination provision” applicable to all Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) health care plans, including self-insured, multi-state plans that are not subject to provider-friendly state laws. ACA worked hard to ensure the inclusion of this provision in the legislation. Follow health care reform at acatoday.org/hcr.
In other news, ACA sent a release to the consumer press today to underscore the profession’s commitment to fighting for patients’ rights to choose the provider and treatment that suits them best.
Source: American Chiropractic Association, acatoday.org
