Did the Fat Lady Just Sing in "ObamaCare," the Opera?

Being a big fan of Wagnerian opera, I readily relate to the common saying that it isn't over until the fat lady sings.  Yesterday's action by U.S. District Judge Vinson has already generated more than one comment that the drama of ObamaCare is in its final scene, but I disagree.  We've still got lengthy acts to endure.  The legal denouement must still be determined by the Supreme Court, which apparently will not act any sooner than next year.  I am not qualified to second-guess the high court, but my reading of expert commentaries suggests that consensus within the legal community has shifted from strong belief in constitutionality a year ago toward considerable uncertainty -- even reasonable doubt -- today.  This opera has never been produced before, and its ending is yet to be written.

To borrow a thought from director Peter Sellars, ObamaCare really is a "mess worthy of an opera." (Sellars collaborated with composer John Adams in "Doctor Atomic" and "Nixon in China," two excellent operas based on political history.)  Health reform has a rich plot with several levels of conflicting action.  A president pushes a major project that is inconsistent with his historical personality and arguably a diversion from more pressing issues of the time.  The fated turn of events leads to unexpected outcomes that are both good and bad, etc.  I won't be surprised if "ObamaCare" is produced someday at the Met (whose excellent HD production of "Nixon in China" is coming to a theater near you on February 12).

Will this new opera be a tragedy?  A farce?  Sadly, I expect it will be a bit of both, and the Supreme Court decision will be only one of several forces represented on the stage when the final curtain falls.  Health reform's lack of coherence will figure prominently in the finale; the plot didn't make sense from the beginning.  Above all, a dysfunctional economy -- the ominous threat that should have been dispatched in the first act -- will turn out to be the villain that prevents a happy ending.  The chorus representing patients, providers, and payers will be expressing their dismay that things did not work out as hoped or planned.

Like Wagner's Ring cycle, the saga of reform will continue.  Even if the Supreme Court puts an end to ObamaCare, the U.S. still won't have an efficient and effective medical economy.  We must continue waiting for the fat lady's stirring pronouncement of health care Valhalla.  What other operas might help us understand the mess we are in and how to get out of it?