Orange, California Jul 21, 2018 (Issuewire.com) - The American College of Medical Scribe Specialists (ACMSS™) and the American College of Clinical Documentation Outcomes (ACCDO) has concerns about the future of the Supreme Court and the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
With President Trump nominating appellate Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, there are conflicting views over his legal interpretations concerning pre-existing conditions. A recent court case was filed by Texas and 19 other states which point to the Supreme Court’s 2012 decision that ACA’s individual mandate was lawful under Congress’ power to tax. As a component of revisions in the 2017 tax law, the tax penalty associated with the individual mandate was eliminated. The suit by the State of Texas argues that this now makes the mandate unconstitutional and as a consequence, the entire ACA unconstitutional.
The Department of Justice has since penned a letter to congressional leadership outlining that in their interpretation, should the mandate be found unconstitutional, other provisions within ACA which preclude the denial of coverage to those with pre-existing conditions would have to be struck down.
Should the Supreme Court make such a determination, a report by Health and Human Services estimates that between 61 million and 133 million individuals with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage in they require individual marketplace health insurance coverage.
The removal of protections for individuals for pre-existing conditions would be a devastating blow to the transformational progress that has been made by the ACA in improving both coverage and quality of care. ACCDO is actively engaging Congress that any nominee to the Supreme Court must support and uphold the bipartisan framework built out by healthcare leadership and policymakers over the last decade.
Early analysis from legal scholars indicates that the Texas case likely lacks the strength of argument to endanger the ACA, but we must not take protections to individuals with pre-existing conditions for granted. Congress must engage Judge Kavanaugh to ensure if appointed to the Supreme Court, he will respect the legal framework laid out by Congress which provides essential protections to individuals under the ACA.
“Our 21st-century healthcare system ensures citizens have basic access to not only the ability to keep themselves well, but improving on all areas of their life, moving forward, and keeping themselves out of poverty,” said ACMSS™ | ACCDO Executive Director Kristin Hagen. “Just as a federal minimum wage ensures a basic living wage, making health coverage affordable and accessible keeps people able to work and contribute to our nation’s prosperity. Health is wealth, and as such, healthcare is America’s future.”
ACMSS™ and ACCDO are empowering America’s healthcare system, clinicians, and Physician/Certified Medical Scribe Specialist (CMSS) teams to pursue coordinated national goals that truly transform the system, building patient-centered care through the CMSS licensed professional. The ACMSS™ | ACCDO vision of a value-based, patient-centered system includes a focus on wellness, prevention, disease reversal 21st-century cures, and evidence-based, integrative models of care.
About ACMSS™
The American College of Medical Scribe Specialists (ACMSS™) is the nation’s only nonprofit professional society representing more than 23,000 Certified Medical Scribe Specialists in over 2,300 medical institutions. The ACMSS certification program meets current and proposed Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) certification requirements toward use of electronic health records. ACMSS™ advances the needs of the medical scribe industry through certification, public advocacy, secure innovative systems design, individualized and customized consulting, tailored webinars, and continuing scribe education for improved care coordination and patient-centric care toward wellness. ACMSS™ works independently in compliance with CMS to meet national goals and initiatives of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) and its Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). Certified Medical Scribe Specialists also meet the “qualified people” standard in Certified Electronic Health Record Technology (CEHRT).
About ACCDO
The American College of Clinical Documentation Outcomes is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization serving healthcare non-profit entities, non-profit organizations, accredited academic institutions, and the community at large, hosting meaningful conversations with physicians, clinicians, and patients about becoming involved, and creating meaningful connections and educational materials on improving 21st century clinical care. Activities are focused on charitable contributions, research, advocacy, events, and creating new educational material focused on evidence-based care and cures. Nutrition and holistic care are centerpieces along with the importance of reaching both clients and patients of the healthcare system.
Please contact ACMSS™ Executive Director Kristin Hagen directly at info@theacmss.org or 800-987-3692 if you have any questions regarding the ACMSS™ and ACCDO programs and/or materials.
To learn more about ACMSS, please visit TheACMSS.org
To learn more about ACCDO, please visit TheACCDO.org
CONTACT: Kristin Hagen, CMSS
Clinical Informatics/Wellness
Executive Director, American College of Medical Scribe Specialists
Executive Director, American College of Clinical Documentation Outcomes
(800) 987-3692
Media Contact
American College of Medical Scribe Specialists, a 501(c)(6) Non-Profit Organization khagen@theacmss.org (800) 987-3692 333 City Blvd. West, Suite 1700 https://TheACMSS.org
