Obamacare Victory Spells More Work For Healthcare CIOs

First, a bit of transparency: I believe in universal health coverage and don't think the word "socialized," as in socialized medicine, is a four-letter word. How exactly the nation should roll out that universal coverage--without creating a bureaucratic nightmare or bankrupting the country--is beyond my expertise, but in principle it's the right direction.

So in my mind, the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act is a step in the right direction inasmuch as it gives most Americans access to sorely needed medical care.

In case you haven't already heard, the Court decided that the law's individual mandate requiring the purchase of health insurance is constitutional, not under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution, but under the authority granted to Congress to impose taxes on the American people. (The individual mandate compels anyone not covered by his or her employer or by a public insurance program such as Medicare to buy a private insurance policy or pay a penalty, with some exceptions.)