Healthcare Ruling Has Unanswered Questions For Many - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Many professionals in the healthcare industry celebrated the Supreme Court's ruling to uphold the individual mandate for health insurance.

In a 5 to 4 vote, the Supreme Court ruled it is constitutional to require individuals to have health insurance.

The CEO of Robert C. Byrd Clinic in Lewisburg said the ruling not only allows all individuals access to health insurance, it focuses on patient-centered healthcare.

"It should give individuals that have never had insurance before or have been denied insurance, should give everyone access to really, a basic necessity, healthcare," said Steven Swart, Robert C. Byrd Clinic CEO.

Many employees at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center agree that the ruling will greatly benefit those who live without health insurance.

"People who have neglected having just basic care, just because they really don't feel like they can afford it, now they're going to have access and it's going to be better for them. Hopefully we'll be able to detect things earlier for them and hopefully it will help people save more lives," said Melissa Wickline, director of marketing at Greenbrier Valley Medical Center.

But one of the main concerns for the healthcare reform act is figuring out how to pay the bill.

"From a con standpoint, people are going to talk about cost. How do we pay for 30 million additional Americas going into the medicaid system. There's going to be dialog about the state co-ops," said Swart.

Some people feel the ruling takes away individual freedoms and choices.

"I don't like it because they might not be able to afford it," said Roy Rhodes, a Rainelle resident.

Some say the financial aspect was part of the reason for such a close vote within the Supreme Court.

"It's how to finance healthcare long-term and to me, that's the real struggle, is 30-40 years from now can we have a sustainable system and at what cost," said Swart.

Although the supreme court announced it's ruling, many professionals said the issue is far from over.