Workweek March 25, 2023
The Affordable Care Act celebrated its 13th birthday—mazel tov.
It hasn’t been the easiest 13 years, though (my parents also said this to me when I turned 13). The ACA has battled countless lawsuits over the individual and contraception mandates and faced tremendous controversy regarding the actual “affordability” of ACA Marketplace insurance plans.
Now, another controversial part of the ACA is resurfacing: the effective ban on physician-owned hospitals (POHs).
So, to celebrate the ACA’s birthday, I’ll discuss the history of POHs, explain how and why the ACA ruined them, and then offer my $0.02 on the issue.
THE HISTORY OF PHYSICIAN-OWNED HOSPITALS
POHs started popping up in the 1980s in response to managed care and the ever-so-increasing corporatization of healthcare...