By Maureen Shawn Kennedy, MA, RN, editor-in-chief
Courtesy of Kaiser Health News
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 47 states have enacted some legislation to block or limit various requirements of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). And a week from Monday, on March 26, the Supreme Court will begin hearings on the constitutionality of the law, as 26 states bring suit against the federal government. The primary issue for the Court: can the federal government mandate that individuals must purchase health insurance?
Other closely related issues the court has also set aside time to consider are whether other provisions of the law can still be implemented or must be voided if the individual mandate is struck down, the legality of the proposed Medicaid expansion, and whether the court must in fact wait until the individual mandate is actually implemented in 2015 before even considering its legality.
So how do many Americans feel? The Kaiser Family Foundation has been tracking opinions on the law and offers an excellent interactive chart that shows opinions according to different variables, including age, income, political party affiliation, gender, and current insurance status. Their findings may surprise you.
For more information about the Affordable Care Act and it implications for nursing, here are some links to AJN’s coverage since it was signed into law in 2010:
“Nurses and the Affordable Care Act,” Mary Wakefield
“What Future for the Affordable Care Act,” Diana Mason
“Health Care Reform and a System in Flux,” Jacob Molyneux
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