California Hospitals Pleased by Supreme Court Decision Upholding Access to Coverage Under ACA
SACRAMENTO, Calif., June 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The following statement is issued by C. Duane Dauner, President, California Hospital Association :
The California Hospital Association (CHA) is pleased by today's Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act (ACA). California's hospitals have long supported the goal of expanding coverage to the uninsured. Today's ruling means that California will continue to make progress towards this goal.
The court's decision that the ACA – including the individual mandate - is constitutional will help ensure that all Californians have access to health insurance coverage.
The court also ruled that the federal government cannot withhold federal Medicaid funding to states that don't expand their Medicaid programs. We do not expect that this ruling will have significant impact in California. It's our expectation that California will comply with the Medicaid expansion in the law, even though it will increase the state's costs in future years. This Medicaid expansion could extend coverage to an estimated 2 million low-income uninsured Californians. Additionally, we expect the state to move forward with full implementation of the California Health Benefit Exchange, which is expected to provide coverage to more than 2 million additional California residents.
Today's ruling also provides much needed clarity to hospitals in our ongoing efforts to meet the "Triple Aim" of improving quality of care, reducing health care costs and improving the patient experience. California has long been on the forefront of innovative and cost-efficient health care delivery, which has led to per capita health care costs that are 8 percent below the national average.
We look forward to continuing our partnership with state and federal officials and other stakeholders as we move towards implementation of health care reform.
CONTACT: |
Jan Emerson-Shea |
(916) 804-0663 - cell |
SOURCE California Hospital Association
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