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Like a duck in a pond: Reflections on the PPACA Supreme Court hearings

 

Whew, what a week! We made it! In general, I try to make running EBN look like a duck in a pond — giving the appearance of floating easily, while paddling madly beneath the surface. However, I’m going to break the façade for a minute and tell you that this last week covering the Supreme Court arguments on the individual mandate was the busiest and most challenging of my professional life. 
It meant long and intense working hours for the whole staff (at times with little food), but I think I speak for all of us when I say that as exhausted as we are now that the arguments are over, working on this coverage was extremely energizing in the moment. We truly enjoyed bringing you the news of the day from EBN’s own D.C. backyard, right along with the national network media. EBN Associate Editor Lisa Gillespie was even elbowed out of position for a good shot by an ABC cameraman — she’s officially arrived! Check out Lisa’s on-camera closeup as she recapped this week’s events http://ebn.benefitnews.com/video/supreme-court-ppaca-hearings-lisa-gillespie-recap2723396-1.html for a segment on BenefitsTV. 
And in case you missed anything, here’s a brief wrap-up/rundown of the news and analysis we brought you about the hearings:
* A preview of the week’s events http://ebn.benefitnews.com/news/ppaca-supreme-court-individual-mandate-constitutional-legal-analysis-2723215-1.html?mstr_chnnl=ebn_health_care_reform, featuring exclusive interviews with industry pros like Proskauer attorney James Napoli, who called the mood inside the chamber “electric.” http://ebn.benefitnews.com/news/supreme-court-ppaca-hearings-american-benefits-council-analysis-2723277-1.html?mstr_chnnl=ebn_health_care_reform
* Exclusive analysis of day two http://ebn.benefitnews.com/news/supreme-court-individual-mandate-arguments-day-two-exclusive-2723278-1.html?mstr_chnnl=ebn_health_care_reform, when arguments centered specifically on the constitutionality of the individual mandate. Watch a BenefitsTV segment featuring Proskauer attorneys Napoli and Lynda Noggle http://ebn.benefitnews.com/video/?id=2723344&page=1, who were inside the chamber during arguments. They shared first-hand accounts of the events, including how certain justices appeared to be leaning.
* Industry experts explaining the complications involved on day three, when the justices tackled the tricky subject of severability. http://ebn.benefitnews.com/news/supreme-court-ppaca-arguments-severability-individual-mandate-2723326-1.html?mstr_chnnl=ebn_health_care_reform
* EBN legal contributing editor Kate Bongiovanni recaps the hearings and offers her legal analysis http://ebn.benefitnews.com/news/supreme-court-ppaca-individual-mandate-injunction-act-delay-ruling-2723364-1.html of what’s at stake when the justices rule. 
* A slideshow http://ebn.benefitnews.com/gallery/ebn/supreme_court_health_care_reform_protest-2723242-1.html capturing some of the best visual images from the Supreme Court steps, where hundreds of protesters gathered to voice support and opposition of PPACA.
I hope you found EBN’s coverage informative and valuable. And although we’re thankful to be able to catch our breath, eat and regroup before the justices hand down their ruling in June, we’re looking forward to bringing you first-rate analysis yet again as this landmark case comes to its conclusion.
What did you think of the Supreme Court PPACA hearings and EBN’s coverage? Any predictions on how the justices will rule? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

Whew, what a week! We made it! In general, I try to make running EBN look like a duck in a pond — giving the appearance of floating easily, while paddling madly beneath the surface. However, I’m going to break the façade for a minute and tell you that this last week covering the Supreme Court arguments on the individual mandate was the busiest and most challenging of my professional life. 

It meant long and intense working hours for the whole staff (at times with little food), but I think I speak for all of us when I say that as exhausted as we are now that the arguments are over, working on this coverage was extremely energizing in the moment. We truly enjoyed bringing you the news of the day from EBN’s own D.C. backyard, right alongside the national network media. EBN Associate Editor Lisa Gillespie was even elbowed out of position for a good shot by an ABC cameraman — she’s officially arrived! Check out Lisa’s on-camera recap of this week’s events for a segment on BenefitsTV. 

And in case you missed anything, here’s a brief wrap-up/rundown of the news and analysis we brought you about the hearings:

* A preview of the week’s events, featuring exclusive interviews with industry pros like Proskauer attorney James Napoli, who called the mood inside the chamber “electric.” 

* Exclusive analysis of day two, when arguments centered specifically on the constitutionality of the individual mandate. Watch a BenefitsTV segment featuring Proskauer attorneys Napoli and Lynda Noggle, who were inside the chamber during arguments. They shared first-hand accounts of the events, including how certain justices appeared to be leaning.

* Industry experts explaining the complications involved on day three, when the justices tackled the tricky subject of severability

* EBN legal contributing editor Kate Bongiovanni recaps the hearings and offers her legal analysis of what’s at stake when the justices rule. 

* A slideshow capturing some of the best visual images from the Supreme Court steps, where hundreds of protesters gathered to voice support and opposition of PPACA.

I hope you found EBN’s coverage informative and valuable. And although we’re thankful to be able to catch our breath, eat and regroup before the justices hand down their ruling in June, we’re looking forward to bringing you first-rate analysis yet again as this landmark case comes to its conclusion.

What did you think of the Supreme Court PPACA hearings and EBN’s coverage? Any predictions on how the justices will rule? Share your thoughts in the comments. 

 

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