The U.S. Supreme Court upheld key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The individual mandates and the optional Medicaid expansion will begin on January 1, 2014.
The American College of Physicians and the Federation of State Medical Boards’ guidelines for online medical professionalism apply existing norms of communication and confidentiality to new settings but will need to be modified in light of technological advances and unanswered questions.
AMA J Ethics. 2015;17(5):441-447. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.5.nlit1-1505.
Physician partners in a clinical practice should consider the ethical implications of joining a hospital system-based ACO, including whether there will be pressure to consider the hospital system’s bottom line.
AMA J Ethics. 2015;17(7):622-629. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.7.bndr1-1507
Survey of faculty physicians at the University of Pennsylvania led to a list of proposals for health care reforms beyond those included in the Affordable Care Act.
AMA J Ethics. 2015;17(7):680-688. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.7.sect2-1507.
The Affordable Care Act broadens health coverage primarily through market mechanisms, building on the public-private partnership in service of an important policy goal.
AMA J Ethics. 2015;17(7):665-671. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.7.msoc1-1507
The “Cadillac tax” on high-cost employer-sponsored health coverage exacerbates inequities by differentially affecting the costs and subsidization of coverage for lower- and higher-income workers.
AMA J Ethics. 2015;17(7):672-679. doi:
10.1001/journalofethics.2015.17.7.sect1-1507.