Local hospital officials say the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision Thursday upholding most of President Barack Obama’s health reform legislation has little impact since both Flathead Valley hospitals began planning for implementation when the law passed.

Jason Spring, chief executive officer of North Valley Hospital, called the decision something of a “non-event” for medical officials since little was changed.

“We’re happy to have clarification so we can know how to prepare to move forward,” he said.

Spring said the medical community realizes that many long- and short-term political battles lie ahead to amend or adapt the law to fix flaws and address funding.

He said questions remain about the impact of the justices’ decision that the federal government may not withdraw all Medicaid dollars from states that do not expand coverage.

He said North Valley Hospital has been preparing for what it believes the law will do but has not made a lot of changes.

“For the most part, it impacts the coverage of people,” he said. “For us as a critical access hospital, it really didn’t change how we are paid or funded dramatically. We’re preparing for more patients with coverage and that’s a positive thing.”

Jim Oliverson, spokesman for Northwest Healthcare (parent company of Kalispell Regional Medical Center), said the hospital’s legal counsel and government liaison have the 190-page high court decision under review.

“The bottom line is the mandate was upheld. What it means, I can’t tell you,” he said. “Our people are going over it and conferring with other attorneys.”

Oliverson agreed with Spring that the Medicaid part of the decision has created more questions than it has answered.  No one knows whether Montana’s governor and legislators will choose to expand coverage.

“According to an official at the state, there are 70,000 to 80,000 Montanans who could be covered by Medicaid that are currently not covered,” Oliverson said. “We’re talking about the uninsured and under-insured.”

Oliverson added that his personal opinion is that no one in this country should “go to sleep hungry, cold or without access to health care.”  He expects to see a battle in the state Legislature as members grapple with whether to expand Medicaid coverage and, if so, how to pay for it.

Even though the health-care reform act passed more than two years ago, many questions remain about provisions within the bill. Oliverson said the law contains ambiguous language with words such as “significant,” “relevant” and “appropriate.”

An army of government workers continues to churn out volumes of regulations to interpret and apply provisions of the 2,500-page Affordable Care Act.

“There are 34 different agencies that have to review certain sections of the law,” Oliverson said.

Regardless of what happens on the political front, he said Northwest Healthcare intends to continue taking care of people, preventing disease, identifying disease early and ensuring proper coordination along the continuum of care.

“That’s what we have been doing for 100 years and, hopefully, we’ll be doing it for another 100 years,” Oliverson said. “You just play the cards you’re dealt.”

Reporter Candace Chase may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at cchase@dailyinterlake.com.