What with the healthcare reform bill’s future now resting in the Supreme Court’s hands, some states sit watching from the sidelines assuming the law will be overturned. Others, meanwhile, continue moving cautiously to the end-zone putting in place policies, operations and systems required to meet the ACA’s 2014 health insurance exchange (HIX) deadline.

Regardless of the final ruling, the healthcare law has already changed the conversation and the dynamics at the highest levels of Federal and state government by planting seeds for modernizing the country’s health and human services infrastructure, improving operational efficiencies, and enhancing overall consumer experiences.

[Podcast: The uncertain future of health insurance exchanges.]

If the individual mandate is struck down, the entire bill is rescinded, or any outcome in between, the Federal government and states can – and should – continue to revamp how benefits are accessed and delivered. While Federal financing will still be required, it is essential for the nation to continue to promote improvements in three key areas, no matter how the Supreme Court rules. Those are:

1. Eligibility and Enrollment: The ACA vision for enrolling in coverage assumes that while some people will still need assistance applying for coverage, the vast majority will enroll in public, subsidized, and private coverage online, by themselves. Real-time is the new vision: Verifications will, as much as possible, be done electronically by matching data against Federal and state databases, rather than making consumers provide hard copy documentation for pay stubs, birth certificates, etc., as they do now. Renewals will be automated – thereby replacing the multi-step, often time-consuming and inefficient renewal processes in place today – ensuring continued coverage for eligible consumers. States working to meet these requirements of the ACA have already identified options for supporting real-time eligibility and enrollment.

Just as the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) years ago moved most of its business on-line to enable consumers to register vehicles, change addresses, pay parking tickets and more, all in real-time, the Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) should strive to modernize eligibility and enrollment systems to make enrolling in public and private health programs as easy as renewing a license.

[Q&A: A public hospital CEO's concerns about SCOTUS, November elections.]

Furthermore, while the ACA defines eligibility and enrollment requirements for Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Program (CHIP), eligibility and enrollment policies for other benefit programs such as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly Food Stamps), Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) and a variety of other Federal, state and local programs (e.g., LIHEAP, EITC and Unemployment Benefits) are mentioned, but not specifically addressed in the law. States should consider adopting the modernized eligibility and enrollment policies and systems set forth in the ACA to support an even wider array of benefit programs. Providing a far more efficient and effective enrollment process will save consumers and state workers time and provide more accuracy than current processes and systems.