Viewpoints: The moral underpinning of the health law; Mandate may not be critical

Philadelphia Inquirer: Morality, Health Care, And The Supreme Court
There was a reason -; a pretty noble one, in fact -; behind Obamacare, as well as several earlier proposals, Democratic and Republican, to overhaul the health-care system. As the president put it in 2009, providing near-universal coverage for Americans is "a core ethical and moral obligation." That hasn't come up much recently, as soothsayers of all stripes have been predicting how the Supreme Court will rule shortly after 10 a.m. Thursday. Most seem to think that the Affordable Care Act, Obama's signature health-care legislation that expands coverage for millions of Americans, will be overturned (Michael Yudell, 6/27).

Bloomberg: Do Republicans Really Want Universal Health Care?
Having jettisoned their support for the individual mandate in order to fight a Democratic bill with the mandate at its core, Republicans simply have no policies that could plausibly lead to universal coverage. Instead, they've moved in the opposite direction, vowing to reduce spending on government programs. One unfortunate consequence of cutting spending that goes toward health insurance for poor people is that fewer poor people have health insurance (Ezra Klein, 6/27).

Market Watch: Supreme Court: Does The Health-Care Overhaul Matter?
The impending Supreme Court decision on the health-care reform bill is already being touted as the most significant ruling from the high court in decades. From a political perspective, this may be true. But the ruling's impact on the direction of health care reform may well be overstated (Carrie Nixon and Carson Porter, 6/27).

Houston Chronicle: Let's Base New Model Of Care On Technology
What is needed is a new model of care that is driven by communication technology and an ethic based in personal responsibility of two groups: the physicians and the patients. This relationship has been systematically eroded since the 1980s. The overriding force that will change the health care system and restore integrity to this relationship is not just who pays for care but who is accountable and responsible for the care coordination and outcome of every patient's encounter with the health care system (Dr. Kim Dunn, 6/27).

NewsHour: Of Health Care, Haircuts And Broccoli
It was just a routine haircut. But before it was over, I found myself engaged in a donnybrook with a beauty salon of women from both the left and right in their political thinking, all preaching to each other about the evils of the federal health care reform law, known as the Affordable Care Act. I was struck by this. The women in this group, I will say again, came from both ends of the political spectrum. So for them all to agree that the so-called individual mandate was a violation of their personal freedom seemed worth taking note of in today's polarized political environment. I can't remember the last time I watched a whole room full of liberal and conservative Americans agree on anything (Betty Ann Bowser, 6/27).

Health Policy Solutions (a Colo. news service): Survey Says Health Exchange Will Help Employers
However, too many employers remain unaware of benefits under the exchange. More than half (56 percent) of eligible business owners were not aware of tax credits available to them. The health insurance exchange will begin operating in 2014. It will enable small businesses to shop for health insurance among competing companies online or through a broker. … Based on the survey results, however, it is clear more small business must learn about the exchange and how it can help them (Bob Semro, 6/27).