By: Hollie Hojek
hhojek@kcautv.com
Sioux City's two hospitals say their goal is to provide the best possible care, and essentially, both healthcare providers say the Supreme Court's Decision will help them accomplish their goal.
"We're pleased with the Supreme Court ruling... it isn't perfect but it puts us in the right direction,' said Bob Peebles, CEO of Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City.
"We don't support or not support it . We're going to respond to whatever the state and federal legislation is," says Peter Thoreen, President and CEO of St. Luke's Hospital.
The CEO's of Sioux City's two hospitals are weighing in on the Supreme Court's ruling to essentially uphold the Affordable Health Care Act, part of that act will force un insured Americans to buy health insurance by the year 2014. Currently, nine percent of patients at Mercy Medical Center are uninsured.
"So where do they end up... they end up in the emergency room. Which is the most expensive setting. And unfortunately they've let that chronic disease or that cough to get worse and worse and worse. So that cough that could have been treated in a primary care office with an office visit, now could be pneumonia with a thousand dollars in emergency department bills," says Peebles.
Both CEO's say their goal is to provide the most appropriate, cost- effective care to their patients, and evidence shows insurance coverage can help make that type of care possible.
"Generally why community hospitals support people having more coverage is when you tend to have insurance, you tend to use healthcare more appropriately, you'll come in when you need it. And that's a good thing if we can get some increased reimbursement to help pay for those patients that are uninsured," says Thoreen.
On average, Mercy Medical Center pays out $15 million in uninsured patient medical bills, a year. Peebles expect that number to go down slightly, thanks to the recent ruling. Either way, both major healthcare providers say the Court's decision will not have an affect on the type of care that is currently provided to it's patients.
"It's not our role to weigh in the on the politics, but to take care of the people, and were going to respond and do that the best way we can," says Thoreen.
The individual mandate portion of the law, which is the part that requires all Americans to have some type of insurance, does not go into affect until 2014.
