April 15, 2012

Is Health Care 'Commerce'?

By Deane Waldman
Behind closed doors, the U.S. Supreme Court is deliberating the fate of the ACA (an abbreviation for the Patient Protection and Affordable Health Care Act of 2010).  Their primary question is the constitutionality of Congressional regulation of healthcare as interstate commerce.  We-the-Patients need to consider a larger and more practical question, one that will affect every single one of us: is health care commerce at all? The ACA requires all citizens to purchase health insurance, with financial penalties if we do not.  Interestingly, illegal residents are exempt from this penalty.  The core question for the Supreme Court is discussing whether there are any limits to federal control of commerce?  Can Washington regulate commerce that has not happened yet?  Can Washington penalize a citizen for not engaging in commerce? Health care as two words refers to a service relationship between patient and provider.  Healthcare when used as one word is a...(Read Full Article)