By ALEXIS ZOTOS
6 News Reporter
KNOXVILLE (WATE) - The Tennessee Health Care Campaign hosted a rally in downtown Knoxville Thursday night in celebration of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act.
According to THCCP, the health care reform law will provide affordable access to high-quality health care for one million uninsured Tennesseans and guarantee protections to all 6.4 million state residents.
The rally featured speakers from the medical community in support of the Affordable Care Act.
Other members of Knoxville's medical industry are still gauging what today's ruling means.
"It's clearly a good day for the consumer of health care and from our perspective it's a better day than the alternative," said Tim Young, CEO of the Summit Medical Group.
Young said Thursday's decision was what they were hoping for.
"We were already operating under the assumption that the health care reform act would be upheld and have been for the last two years making provisions to prepare for that," he said. Young said he is still reviewing the lengthy ruling.
John Geppi, the chief financial officer for Covenant Health, says they are still trying to understand how many of their customers will be affected and what changes may occur.
"We're not sure if it helps us with any of our uninsured or if our uninsured patients will continue at the same levels that they are," Geppi said.
Geppi says between five and ten percent of their customers may be affected.
Many questions are raised by how Tennessee will implement the law.
"States can opt out. What that means is a lot of uncertainty," Geppi said.
But the industry seems to agree, despite uncertainty, today's ruling is a step in the right direction.
"It is, we hope a step in a long journey of stabilizing our present health care system," said Young. "And we must understand we have to be a participant in finding solution to do that."
"It's clearly a good day for the consumer of health care and from our perspective it's a better day than the alternative," said Tim Young, CEO of the Summit Medical Group.
