Despite the Supreme Court on Thursday largely upholding President Obama's Affordable Care Act, 5-4, the consensus is that the nation's health care problems will not disappear and that Washington will still have its hands full for years to come on such issues as how to fix Medicare, reining in the high cost of care as well as how to insure the millions of uninsured.
A day before the ruling, Doug Schneider, CEO of Connecture, which makes the systems through which more than 25 million Americans buy their health insurance, gave his prediction about the future of healthcare, regardless of how the Court rules.
"The debate will continue about how this [Supreme Court] decision will impact the healthcare system in the long term, especially as it relates to managing and containing costs," Schneider said. "What is certain is that states, brokers, and health insurance carriers absolutely must take the friction out of the health insurance purchasing process as a key part of an overall cost-containment strategy. This will ultimately be a win for consumers, because they will have more choice and accessibility in working with insurance carriers."