Could Obamacare cause a shortage in nursing again

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I would really like to know how you believe Obama care will affect the medical field and be honest. I would expect that it would create more jobs but the work would be very tiring. There would be no 3/12 but 4/12 or 3/15 with rooming/bedding at hospital.

Universal health works in many other countries because the populace in good majority believes in the basic premise that healthcare should be open to *everyone* and are willing to accept whatever costs and or limitations that come with the scheme. It would be very difficult for any such consensus to be reached politically in the United States on the federal level much less most states to propose a sweeping universal health scheme.

The other point is no other country the size of the United States in terms of population has a federal universal health scheme. We do have Medicare which works well enough, but the population is limited to a certain demographic. Medicaid is run by states with some federal funding which in theory helps keep some of the costs down.

Best option for universal health is at the state level similar to what Mr. Romney did (and quickly ran away from) in Massachusetts.

States have far more powers over healthcare within their borders than the federal government. Remember parts of Obamacare only squeeked by because it was declared a tax by the SCOTUS, something Obama and Democrats initially and up until then clearly stated it was not.

If Obamacare is like Romneycare we're screwed.

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.
If Obamacare is like Romneycare we're screwed.
I work as a primary care provider in MA and I can honestly say that I was very skeptical of Romney's health care reform, however, there has been a significant improvement in the rates of care in primary and tertiary settings. There isn't any solid outcomes data yet that I know of but the overall the ED rates have dropped, frequent ED rates have dropped, and non-emergent ED rates have dropped while primary care and preventative visits have increased. Insurance companies are still increasing costs and reducing coverage, but that is consistent across the country.

I would love to know how we are "screwed" based on your experience, or studies that have concluded as such.

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If Obamacare is like Romneycare we're screwed.

Do you live in MA? Most of the people I know from MA are happier with the care they are getting now. Sure it's not perfect, but better than the options they has before.

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One can only hope. Looking at the state of new grads. :no:

care to elaborate on such a broad brushed statement? ? ? I'm a new grad I know I still have a lot to learn because so much of nursing is an art you can be taught the tools and how to use them but until you practice unless you have some god given talent you can't be skilled without practice. I'm so grateful the nurses i'm orientating with at my new job don't have your dislike of new grads and are all too eager to show me the ropes and help me transition from student to nurse and learn how to be the best nurse I can be.

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They can TRY to; but the law was written that, in reality, they CAN'T defund it...they won't tell the uninformed public THAT. :blink:

Yep all the Republicans are doing is shooting themselves in the foot. Because the uninformed will see them as "defunding' then when it rolls out and we have the NORMAL bumps you have with any new plan everyone will say it's because the Republicans made it difficult they created chaos and could lose them votes.. here's hoping that happens its what the uninformed deserve to not understanding that whats being debated and "defunded" is discretionary funds not the funds need to operate Obamacare.

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Do you live in MA? Most of the people I know from MA are happier with the care they are getting now. Sure it's not perfect, but better than the options they has before.

Really sad thing amoung all the "what if's" of Mitt Romney's failed last bid for the WH is if the man had owned up to "Romneycare" , embraced it and stood against the more extreme members of the Republican party. But no, poor Mittens allowed himself to follow that herd and look where it got him.

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There are open positions now that are not being filled. Staffing ratios will be pushed to the absolute limits in order to save more money.

How do you know that this will happen. That's why people who assume always look like an ass. I would have to agree, with OCNRN63, that we cant yet anticipate what will happen and can assume or speculate which only causes hysteria. We will see what will be on 10/1 when the exchange starts.

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Obamacare cuts funds to hospitals and doctors, I would think this would affect the nursing field very badly.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.
Obamacare cuts funds to hospitals and doctors, I would think this would affect the nursing field very badly.

you are absolutley right. less reimbursement to the hospital has a direct correlation on everything that affects the average nurse, such as salary, bennefits and hiring.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
you are absolutley right. less reimbursement to the hospital has a direct correlation on everything that affects the average nurse, such as salary, bennefits and hiring.

*** I am not so sure about that. I know of two hospitals in my state that both receive the same compensation. They receive the same compensation for a CABG or any other diagnosis in the big city hospital and they do in the more rural hospital. Yes the big city hospital starts it's nurses out at $30 and hour and the more rural one starts nurses out at $19 an hour.

I don't think hospital compensation has much if anything to do with nurses compensation. Except as a scape goat.

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Specializes in ICU/ER.

if this country is not careful and dont start looking at the pitifull riembursements for treatment expenditures that hospitals (particularly in my area of the country) are having to eat there is going to be the disapearing of the small rural community hospitals. how much longer can many of these small facilities continue to get only 28 cents back on every dollar charged and still keep the door open and retain quality staff.

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Specializes in burn ICU, SICU, ER, Trauma Rapid Response.
if this country is not careful and dont start looking at the pitifull riembursements for treatment expenditures that hospitals (particularly in my area of the country) are having to eat there is going to be the disapearing of the small rural community hospitals. how much longer can many of these small facilities continue to get only 28 cents back on every dollar charged and still keep the door open and retain quality staff.

*** Naw, I don't buy it. 28 cents if every dollar CHARGED is one of the keys here. A hospital can charge ANYTHING it wants. To complain that they only receive 28 cents of every dollar charged is a shell game. What we need to know is how much of their cost did they receive?

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