2. Healthcare Reform Reinforced
In late June, the Supreme Court surprisingly affirmed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, with Chief Justice John Roberts crossing ideological lines to cast the deciding vote. That wasn't the end of the story, though, as the Presidential election offered an opportunity to elect Republican Mitt Romney, who vowed to make repeal of the law a focus of his administration. However, President Obama was re-elected, securing the complete rollout of the law.
Health insurers are preparing for a more consumer-oriented future by investing in kiosks, gamification, social sites and more. That consumer focus comes because many Americans are expected to buy health insurance through ACA-mandated exchanges, which are supposed to be built by states. Yet many states with governors opposed to the law are deferring to the federal government to build their exchanges for them — which could delay full implementation of the law while playing catch-up.
