Opinions Mixed on Health Care Ruling's Impact on Comp

By Michael Whiteley, Eastern Bureau ChiefWorkers' compensation experts largely shrugged off the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Thursday that upheld the majority of Congress' health care reform bill, although some predicted that expanded health care coverage will prevent cost-shifting, while one fretted that expanded health insurance coverage will lead to a shortage of primary care physicians available to treat injured workers.The high court voted 5-4 to uphold key provisions of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, although the court overturned a provision that would ha...