Last Thursday the U.S. Supreme Court handed down a 7-2 decision, rejecting the third challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The court’s majority did not rule on the merits of the case but rather concluded the plaintiffs lacked standing because they weren’t harmed by the ACA provisions they found problematic.

Regardless of the high court’s reasoning, the ACA seems now solidly in place as the law of the land, 11 years after its passage.

As Maryland’s health care leaders, we ought to be pleased and relieved at this ruling. Here and across the country the ACA broadens and protects access to health care coverage—through expansions of eligibility, minimum standards for health plan benefits, subsidies for those with low incomes, and protections for people with pre-existing conditions.

The ACA also does something that benefits Maryland uniquely: It is the federal enabling legislation for the Maryland Model. The law doesn’t explicitly mention Maryland, of course. Rather, it authorizes the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to run demonstrations that can advance health care quality and produce savings. Our Maryland Model gives stability to your hospitals and thus promotes and protects health care access for all Marylanders.

So, we’ll take just a moment to celebrate the continuity of the ACA. More important, we at MHA continue to dedicate our energies to molding the Model to work for all of you, our members, and to live on into the future.

Bob Atlas
President & CEO