The truth about healthcare reform

ByChandrasekhar Rajagopalan:The decks seem to be cleared for the continued affordable care act or ACA implementation in healthcare reforms following the victory of U.S. President Barack Obama for a second term. However, challenges continue to remain for the President to overcome in his second stint.

THIS week's print edition features an analysis of a survey we conducted of top American economists in advance of the presidential election. A few days ago, we shared some representative comments from survey participants on two subjects: the weakness of the recovery and the 2009 fiscal stimulus.

Zacks.com submits: The recent health care reform has caused unrest amongst the US employers, who will now have to spend more on their employees’ medical plans. The new reform has made taxable the subsidies on retiree drugs offered by the government.

By Tom Lydon: Health care stocks and related exchange traded funds are holding their breath as the Affordable Care Act, health care reform or simply "Obamacare" is on the chopping block this week, waiting on the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling on whether or not the bill passes constitutional muster.

Jonathan Bernstein asks:

It’s hard to believe another year has passed us by, and one that was just as tumultuous as 2011.