Health providers react to ruling

While politicians and political commentators had plenty to say about the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to largely uphold the Affordable Care Act, they weren’t the only ones with thoughts about the decision.

Many local health care providers said they were going to comply with the laws passed and seek to work within the boundaries set up by both the ACA and various state laws.

“As a county health department, w’ere going to continue to do what helps our clients the best,” said Janis Goedeke, Crawford County health officer. “We’ll be doing that more through Medicaid, as Gov. Brownback’s three new managed care companies are coming out. As far as the health care bill, we’re working with that to serve the patients to the best of our ability. We are going to obey the laws and keep going.”

Via Christi Health’s CEO and President Jeff Korsmo also chimed in, saying that changes will be coming throughout the system, yet the ACA, often called Obamacare, only touches the tip of the iceberg, so to speak.

“The Supreme Court’s ruling keeps in place improved access to health care through expanded insurance coverage and important insurance reforms, which were key elements of the Affordable Care Act. But those of us in health care know that much more work needs to be done to provide Americans with higher-quality health care that produces better outcomes at a lower cost...,” Korsmo said. “The way we deliver health care has been changing since the Affordable Care Act took effect two years ago, and it will need to change even more dramatically in the years ahead. The growth in the cost of health care in the United States is simply unsustainable, and it’s going to get worse because 10,000 baby boomers a day are reaching Medicare age. Those costs, combined with our federal and state governments’ fiscal challenges, all call for major change in health care.”

He further said that the ACA doesn’t address the rising cost of health care in the region.

Girard Medical Center spokesperson Karen Wenzelburger said that the hospital was taking a cautious approach to the new bill, and would know more about the effects of the bill and the ruling in the coming days, weeks, months and years.

“Obviously there are different political feelings about the decision and we won’t go into those, but we know health care will be changing and we will need to adapt. We also know we will continue to provide care 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We will continue to serve the community and focus on quality, safety, efficiency and affordable health care for all Kansans. We will work with both sides to increase access to care for our patients,” she said. “Patient care has been our No. 1 priority and will continue to be. It is clear that healthcare is moving toward performance-based outcomes and payment metrics will be tied to those outcomes – and we will adapt. There are challenges ahead but we will work with state and federal agencies to implement the provisions of the ACA!”

Krista Postai, CEO of the Community Health Center of Southeast Kansas, didn’t watch her words when it came to the ruling and its effect on ths clients at CHC-SEK.

“Obviously, we have been watching it very closely. The ACA is not one piece. It is hundreds, if not thousands of rulings, legislation and mandates. It affects every aspect of life. We’ve been awaiting the results,” Postai said.

She further noted that from a patient standpoint, 45-48 percent of the clients at CHC-SEK have no health insurance, and the vast majority, she said, were considered “working poor.” She hoped that the ACA would provide some relief and health insurance for those patients.

“From an organization that takes care of people without insurance, many patients come to us with advanced stages of cancer and heart disease because they didn’t get any preventive care. Hopefully that will be a thing of the past,” Postai said. “You don’t know how hard it is to tell someone that they have advanced cancer and they can’t do much about it. Thirty-five percent of people put off visits to their physicians because they can’t afford it. At least now, they’ll have minimum coverage.”

The ACA also includes provisions for health center expansions. The CHC-SEK is using $4.7 million of that money to help expand the Pittsburg location. Work funded by the ACA will also take place on a Coffeyville site for CHC-SEK. The Pittsburg location had already been awarded the funds whether the law was upheld or not, but the Coffeyville funds were still somewhat in doubt.

Furthermore, Postai said she hoped the ACA would direct patients away from using emergency rooms as primary care physicians. And ultimately, Postai knows the debate over the ACA is not over.

“We see the impact every day of people not getting the care they need,” she said. “From our standpoint, this is a very positive thing. I’m sure this is not the end of it. I don’t think we’re home free. We where in a hold pattern for so long waiting on what the Supreme Court says. So now we can move forward. Being in limbo was maddening.”

Andrew Nash can be reached at andrew.nash@morningsun.net or by calling 231-2600 ext. 140.