Can someone "dumb down" what Obamacare really means?

Nurses Activism

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I don't have time to watch the news or read articles so I don't understand much of what is being talked about. Can someone explain to me how it changes for citizens and what it will do to the future of our healthcare system? Particularly, for us nurses.

Specializes in Pediatrics.
I am in fact an English RN who firmly believes that paying taxes to fund a health service is a good thing to do.

It is all the ridiculous statistics that go along with this and the glowing testimonials that we all know are lies. If any people group on the planet has been taught to think critically, it is nurses. We really are nurses and we know what it costs to have good medical care and we know how people abuse the system already and we know how regulating health care will be horrible for everyone. The ONLY reason we have decent health care right now is because of the ones insured whose bills are hiked to the moon to pay for the ones who are using government controlled medicine. The Medicare/Medicaid patients barely pay anything and expect all the same care, which they are given. Because we know what would happen if we didn't. So yes, I wonder if some of these people who think we are dumb enough to believe these lies aren't plants. I am amazed at how people believe this stuff like the mortality rate of babies is high in America. How ridiculous. The only reason for that is probably abortion. When the government becomes socialist/communists it creates slavery. You can't prosper. Already so many of our freedoms have been abolished because of government control. You can't do anything anymore without jumping through a million hoops to get there per government regulations and if you forget to check the box, oopsy, you have to come back and start again. When the wheel rolls off and there is no money left, you can say you heard it here first.

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I'm totally a plant. Barack Obama came to me back in 2004 and personally asked me to spread "lies" about the healthcare program 8 years later on allnurses, but to start then. I'm actually a manicurist from Poughkeepsie, I just pose as a nurse. My advocacy for single payer healthcare was merely a ruse to get people to think I actually have critically thought out opinions on healthcare when really I'm just a puppet for Barack Obama. He calls me during the night to tell me what lies to spread on allnurses.

Can you imagine how much money each state would save

If people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check?

It makes an entertaining email, and if you enjoy humiliating poor people it might be worth it, but in Florida when this was done, 96% of people passed the test. The state spent more money on drug testing than they would have paid in benefits to the very few people who failed the test.

Posting this immediately before a post where you claim nurses should be better critical thinkers, I'd think you might want to critically think before passing on spam that stereotypes people that are down on their luck as drug abusers.

Being fiscally conservative, I'd rather the money wasted on drug tests go to something useful. Like healthcare.

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It is all the ridiculous statistics that go along with this and the glowing testimonials that we all know are lies. If any people group on the planet has been taught to think critically, it is nurses. We really are nurses and we know what it costs to have good medical care and we know how people abuse the system already and we know how regulating health care will be horrible for everyone. The ONLY reason we have decent health care right now is because of the ones insured whose bills are hiked to the moon to pay for the ones who are using government controlled medicine. The Medicare/Medicaid patients barely pay anything and expect all the same care, which they are given. Because we know what would happen if we didn't. So yes, I wonder if some of these people who think we are dumb enough to believe these lies aren't plants. I am amazed at how people believe this stuff like the mortality rate of babies is high in America. How ridiculous. The only reason for that is probably abortion. When the government becomes socialist/communists it creates slavery. You can't prosper. Already so many of our freedoms have been abolished because of government control. You can't do anything anymore without jumping through a million hoops to get there per government regulations and if you forget to check the box, oopsy, you have to come back and start again. When the wheel rolls off and there is no money left, you can say you heard it here first.

You really have no clue.

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Specializes in ICU.

The original poster was asking for factual information.

As a nursing professional, I am just dismayed by all of the mean spirited rhetoric.

All of us in the healthcare business, whatever your political ideology, need to be informed about medicare changes and insurance reform.

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Sensibility:

You are one very scary, misinformed person. You refuse to recognize the years of evidence regarding the high infant mortality rate in the U.S. and decide on your own that it must be attributed to abortions?

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Specializes in Critical Care.
You example is obvious. I would agree that would not be rationing and that the gov't should not pay for it. However, most situations are not so black and white.

My example is only black and white because we have sufficient knowledge to say that a head MRI will not aid in the treatment of a stubbed toe, with enough evidence every other decision can be just as black and white; obvious is determined by amount of knowledge.

How about going back to my hypothetical example: You said earlier that it is ok for a gov't board deciding that no one over the age of 80 will get a knee replacement if EBP says it is wasteful? That is taking decisions out of the hands of patients and doctors.

Would cutting reimbursements for knee replacements for people over 80 be considered rationing?

Yes, that would be rationing. Cutting reimbursements for knee replacements in general based on a finding that we are over-paying would not be rationing, that would be just trying not to get ripped off.

I disagree that EBP takes decisions out of the hands of patients and doctors, rather it gives them evidence to make an informed decision and helps protect the patient from inept practitioners who essentially have no idea what they are doing.

You believe in cookie-cutter medicine...one size fits all. In which case, the ACA will work better for you then for most people.

EBP does not create cookie-cutter medicine, in fact it does quite the opposite. It's evidence that reveals how differences in patients require different approaches.

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Specializes in Critical Care.
Muno,...I'm going to sort of play devils advocate for a second. I am not affiliated with any particular political party, and to be honest I'm very ill informed about political issues in general,...however I am a nurse and for the last 6 years of my career I've been in a level I Trauma ED. One of my biggest frustrations at work is waste of resources! I understand that your example is an extreme exaggeration,..but what about the not so extreme cases? Who decides what is ignorant waste and what is necessary? How will that decision be made and made in a timely manner? For instance I frequently see people in the ED who have abdominal pain. They have seen their PCP and are scheduled for a CT/HIDA scan/US (whatever) next week,..."but I just can't wait that long!" They have been seen by a doctor who thought they could wait that long. These tests through the ED are very expensive, and take time/resources from true emergencies. How do we decide what gets paid for? What if the ED doc disagrees with the PCP? Better yet,...what happens when we miss a hot appy, AAA etc? I personally think we need fewer lawyers, and and a greater sense of personal responsibility, but as I don't see that happening anytime soon,...how will we make this cost cutting plan work?

How we come up standards, and more importantly how we measure their reliability is a good question. What's been suggested so far for coming up with these standards has been sources such as Cochrane Collaboration, AHRQ, IHI, and well established highly regarded practice organizations such as AHA/ACC. These groups make recommendations based on overwhelming and time-tested evidence. There's always a chance some of what we thought we know may not be true, but it's still far better than the current system in which, for instance, 15 year after we knew that beta blockers cut the risk of death following an MI there were still only half of patients for whom this mortality reduction measure was even considered.

For those who don't trust the evidence and the diagnostic tools that these produce (which help us rule out a AAA or hot appy and therefore make a CT elective rather than emergent) there will always be those willing to perform tests or procedures in a very short period of time providing they are willing to pay the cost of that option.

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All the othe countries are considered - socialists!!!

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@MBarnBSN-Those OTHER countries are considered SOCIALIST not Capitalist!!!

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@MBarnBSN-Those OTHER countries are considered SOCIALIST not Capitalist!!!

Health care is not a capitalistic enterprise in the US. If it was capitalistic, health care would be treated like a business. People would be expected to pay at the time of service. Essentually health care would be like Wal-Mart or your hair dresser. People would not get service unless their cash was on the counter. The prices would have to be more affordable to the general public. Most likely the government, lawyers, insurance comapanies and other enities would not be as involved as they are.

If you want to see capitalistic health care, visit your local veterinarian. Veterinarians have to price thier services so that they are affordable to their clients. There are no government programs for pet owners and there is very little insurance. Vets can also turn people away who cannot pay. Many will provide stabilizing care or euthanasia for those people who cannot afford the care.

Fuzzy

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Specializes in Emergency.
Yes, I agree that not everyone who gets government healthcare is a layabout or deadbeat. However, there ARE a lot of them. Or maybe its just where I am located. Maybe its also where I grew up. Dont get me wrong, I am far from having grown up to a wealthy family. We were lower middle class at best. But my mother taught me to work hard and make something of myself. Yes, she taught me to share. And I do, for those who help themselves. How many people sell their foodstamps to buy things they shouldnt? How many people on welfare have under the table jobs and net more money than I do? How many people who are completely ABLE to work just stay home having more babies to get a bigger check in the mail? How many people who are CURRENTLY receiving medicare benefits completely abuse it? This is all stuff I saw growing up, and I am seeing a lot of it here. And judging from posts Ive seen on here, Im not the only one who has noticed it.

If all people were deserving of welfare and social aid, why would there be such a fuss made about mandatory drug testing and all?

Its just so funny you know. I used to be pretty liberal. Then I opened my eyes and saw it just doesnt work. Now I see how so many liberals treat those who are more conservative. They insult, make assumptions. Mind you, not all of them. Maybe just those Ive been exposed to...

Scary at best...ignorant more than likely...so if one is going to need to be tested to receive government assistance, then we must also test those that get tax breaks ex:like all married couples, absurd religious organizations that get exemptions...test the whole "herd", states that offer "no-tax" days etc...etc...sounds like you are saying anybody that gets any help from the government (our) government, should be tested...hmmm did we forget about the banks? Maybe we should test them and oh yeah- every person on medicaid...they must be getting high? Right? Oh yeah how about students receiving Pell grants and the like...wow I suspect very few of them would pass a urine test? Do you? Or have you not quite thought this out??? One of the other posters made a great point...so they did this in Florida and something like 96% of the people tested were clean...and they really need OUR help! And besides what about all of the doctors gaming the system that are responsible for driving up costs in the first place...you are seemingly on the side that likes to blame the victim...

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Specializes in Emergency.
You don't necessarily need to be a nurse to be a member of this board. Nobody checks to make sure. Please be careful of people that might very well be plants who are obviously giving fallacious information to support socialized medicine. The one guy that said that we have 700 billion dollars in reserve for this is flat out lying. Jeweles26 is giving the right information. We are going to see huge cuts in our salaries and our taxes will go out of the stratosphere meaning less money. Will we be able to reverse this once we're in? Probably not. Most people who support the democratic agenda are constantly arguing that republicans put money into the pocket of the rich. I am sick to death of that argument because it is not true. What a system like the republicans propose does is allow people to prosper, which then causes others to prosper. It means that those people have ability to hire other people and more and more money is available to spend on the things we like. It is just a fact of life that some folks are have more money than others but those people generate jobs for others and hire small businesses to do work etc. My husband's small business is nearly going under with this democratic government especially because of food and gas prices and taxes. See, if you start out with a small business idea, you can prosper under a republican government. Often those who don't have money are the ones who don't want to work. Technically, you could get by in this world with just a few basic items and they want the government to provide those things instead of working hard and making something of themselves. Under a democratic government, it is impossible to prosper because if you make more money, it is less because it places you in a tax bracket where you have to pay more out. So in essence, your situation hasn't changed even though you are supposedly making more. Can you see that? The socialized health care will only further that agenda. Eventually, some treatments will be denied and people will die. Why? Simply because there is not enough money for chronic illnesses that might burden the system. Guess who will survive those things? People who happen to have money. So again, the rich are the only ones who prosper under this where today, those same people get excellent care.

Do you have retrograde amnesia??? Amazing how "all of this stuff" just seemed to happen during the Obama administration??? Your continuum of contradictory statements born of some primal fear are astounding...I wonder how you will feel when the day comes that this all nurturing "republican" government you speak so highly of pulls the rug out from under you (or you simply begin to use your frontal lobe) and you are now one of these people that doesn't have any money and might possibly need help for any number of later life reasons, what then??? No man is an island.

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