Shreveport Medical Society President Steen Traywick, Jr.  says the worst part of  Thursday's Supreme Court Obamacare ruling is that the government mandated plan may force small business into costs they can't handle.

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But he says, regardless,  Louisiana and Shreveport doctors will continue to provide the best health care possible under the guise of the law at the most affordable costs.  Many health care providers and business leaders are reeling from nation's highest court upholding health care.   Dr. Traywick told KEEL News it's the same as a giant tax, comparing the new health care law as allowing another Medicaid and Medicare insurance  program.

But, Traywick says,  it may boil down to a state's right issue.  He says the court ruled that the federal government cannot force states to provide health care, but they can encourage it.   No one knows all the ramifications yet, but states would still be able to exert their own rights, he said.

As you may know,  Louisiana has already said we can't afford this plan...What I want people to know is that Louisiana and Shreveport doctors will continue to provide the best health care under the guise of the law at the most affordable cost... That's our mission.

What Dr. Traywick fears is what others have warned that the cost of a government-run health care program will be too big a burden for small businesses, and that they even won't be able to provide coverage at all, or the insurance industry will have to pass to the higher prices on to consumers.

In the court's opinion, Traywick said, this plan didn't fall under commerce laws, but it came under the government's power to tax penalty.  And even though he's disappointed with the ruling, the system worked because the court is leaving it up to the voters.

In the end, he thinks state's will have the final say by opting out of the government run program.

The question remains, though, what penalties might the federal government enact on businesses that don't provide health insurance?  We'll have to wait and see.

You can hear my interview with Dr. Traywick in its entirety by

 

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