The speculation on how the US Supreme Court will rule on the Affordable Care Act has risen to fever pitch, since the last day of the court’s term is Thursday. Numerous analysts have looked at the various possible outcomes, tried to predict which one will prevail given the court’s composition, and weighed the political, legal, and health care system consequences of each.

Although I am deeply interested in issues related to health care, I have studiously ignored all these analyses since I do not see the point of them. It seems like a waste of time since there is nothing that one can do about it. Why not wait until the actual ruling is delivered and then examine that instead of investing so much time on things that might not happen?

The only people who may have some need to explore all the possibilities before the outcome are those who are expected to have a quick response, in this case the Obama administration since it is their law that is being adjudicated. But even here, I think it would be perfectly acceptable for them to not comment immediately and simply say that now that the ruling is out, whatever it is, they will take a close look at the consequences and announce their response later.

The insatiable demand for speed and quick responses when they are not necessary seems to an entirely media-driven phenomenon that does not really add value but merely provides a way for talking heads to keep busy on radio, TV, and print.