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.

This brings up another point: Americans on average are very uncomfortable about death. They often simply refuse to believe that *modern medical science* cannot arrest, reverse and or cure. While it is true that this or that new or experimental treatment can save or prolong life, usually odds aren't that great.

In previous generations we had "rationing" of medical care, it just wasn't put that way. If one had a mortal illness and truly nothing could be done physician sat you and or your family down with the instructions to "go home and put your affairs in order". As the disease progressed everything was done to make patient comfortable and allow them to live out the remainder of their days in peace.

I agree. Unrealistic expectations from patients and families is something I frequently see in my practice. I think it likely reflects a culture where medical exposure comes in the form of medical dramas where the patient is miraculously saved by the end of each episode. The same with cardiopulmonary resuscitation - most don't realize the truly dismal statistics.

I personally don't think rationing would be a bad thing, ie. not every ortho office needs an MRI machine.

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I will also point out that rationing and a lot worse was happening on the free market too. At least now more people have a chance at health insurance. Not having access to affordable health care was the biggest rationing of all the scenarios. Is this going to be an adjustment for people who haven't had health insurance? Yes. They haven't had the expense and have been very lucky nothing has happened to them yet. I heard how manditory auto insurance was either going to kill the auto industry, run people into the poor house trying to afford insurance or cause people to have to give up their car. The sky didn't fall and people learned to adjust their budgets. Now it's a non issue. Before people were getting into car crashes and the person with insurance ended up with higher premiums and paying for expenses that their own insurance didn't cover. Sound familiar? It's the current health insurance holders carrying the uninsured for hospital bills. Now generally everyone has auto insurance and the burden isn't so high on the car owner anymore.

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We shall see how much of an impact it has on actual practice.

I can say one thing with absolute surety: hospitals, IPAs, healthcare systems, etc will use it as an excuse to cut staff and increase profits. Anything bad in healthcare will be the direct sequelae of healthcare reform.

its hard to blame Obama for greedy corporations. I work for a nonprofit hospital so I would assume not much would change for me. However, I think it would be more like with Medicare and it would be hard to get full reimbursement with the questionaire (HCHAPs?) if all billing went this way. Also I think once obamacare is in and running any talk of taking it away would be met with great resistance from the public. much like social security is now. Its easy to give up what you don't know, but once you get a service where you can't be denied for preexisting and you can't be denied access to healthcare (real care not the ER) there will be groups louder than the NRA saying from my "cold dead hands" will you take away my healthcare.
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Repeat after me: there is not, never has been, a nursing shortage....repeat, ad infinitum, ad nauseam.

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Specializes in ED, Critical Care.

But thats not what my nursing instructors told me! :roflmao:

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Rationing of care or whatever persons wish to call it does not have to be some draconian, cruel and heartless thing. Rather adjusting medical care in the United States from doing things *TO* patients to doing things *FOR* them instead.

In many ways the United States is lone in the Western nations in how it approaches mortal and or serious illness if not healthcare in general. Physicians and hospitals are paid funds to do things to patients, conversely they are not reimbursed or even penalized financially when they do not. Medicare will pay a decent amount to have an 70 y/o male stroke victim with severe dementia to have a pacemaker fitted. All well and good now his heart will keep pumping and the will remain "alive", but yet he sinks deeper into dementia and requires round the clock care. That care Medicare does not pay very much for unless it is in hospital or nursing home, so the spouse and or family is left to cobble together something the best way they know how, often at great mental and financial stress.

The AMA among others were quick to label end of life conversations as "death panels" and as such all mention of the thing including the $200 payments for such visits were removed from ACA. Why? Well one reason patients and or their families electing to die a natural and quiet death would remove the gravy train of funds to various medical specialists whose often main purpose amounts to prolonging the dying process.

Medicine as currently practiced in much of the Untied States seems to have this thing against letting persons die, even when that is clearly happening and or going to happen. If you look at places such as the Cleveland Clinic and a few other facilities in the United States they follow the rather excellent models of universal healthcare as practiced in Canada, EU and elsewhere; physicians are paid a flat rate based upon several factors or even just a wage. This removes the incentive to "do things" that really aren't in the patient's best interest but generate revenue.

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Unless it becomes too expensive and no can pay.

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Eight percent of nurses are Democrats. No one else to blame for Obamacare except for the people who voted for it.

Coincidentally, about 80% of prison inmates are ALSO democrat.

Nothing strange about those numbers either. The "takers" in the world need the providers, but we are outnumbered now. And I don't think it's going to change.

The country is in complete economic collapse.

What in the world? I would hope someone who could complete a nursing degree knows better than to take statistics like that seriously.

Personally, I'm all for Obamacare. Clearly, there will be some issues to work out, as there would be with any newly initiated government program, but what we had wasn't working, and something needed to change.

It's kind of a long story, but if weren't for the ACA, my dad most definitely would be dead within the next two years. He has a gene that causes his blood to clot super easily, and has had two PEs, making him uninsurable. He makes a little too much to be on Medicaid, couldn't afford to go to the doctor on what he makes, and has a crappy job that doesn't offer insurance. After the ACA, he got insurance and FINALLY went to see a dermatologist, turns out he had several melanoma spots, and some basal cell carcinoma spots (he was on a swim team from when he was 4 years old, all the way through college...he wore sunscreen but he was just in the sun way too much). Doc said they caught it just in time, got him in surgery and started him on chemo immediately.

His doctors say everything is looking good, and we have every reason to feel hopeful. My dad has to go to the derm every three months for the rest of his life to get checked out, but he can do that, now that he has insurance.

I'd kiss Obama on the mouth if I could!!

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I am not saying do not go in to Nursing which is a wonderful profession. All I am saying is things will get harder under Obamacare for everyone. Doctors and Nurses and patients. Want to know what it will look like ? Check out VA hospitals. By the way, I have worked for Govt for some time, it took me awhile to realize that being efficient and smart was a big no no. Get in trouble for being to productive.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

What in the world? I would hope someone who could complete a nursing degree knows better than to take statistics like that seriously.

Personally, I'm all for Obamacare. Clearly, there will be some issues to work out, as there would be with any newly initiated government program, but what we had wasn't working, and something needed to change.

It's kind of a long story, but if weren't for the ACA, my dad most definitely would be dead within the next two years. He has a gene that causes his blood to clot super easily, and has had two PEs, making him uninsurable. He makes a little too much to be on Medicaid, couldn't afford to go to the doctor on what he makes, and has a crappy job that doesn't offer insurance. After the ACA, he got insurance and FINALLY went to see a dermatologist, turns out he had several melanoma spots, and some basal cell carcinoma spots (he was on a swim team from when he was 4 years old, all the way through college...he wore sunscreen but he was just in the sun way too much). Doc said they caught it just in time, got him in surgery and started him on chemo immediately.

His doctors say everything is looking good, and we have every reason to feel hopeful. My dad has to go to the derm every three months for the rest of his life to get checked out, but he can do that, now that he has insurance.

I'd kiss Obama on the mouth if I could!!

:)

Congrats to your dad and beat wishes in his recovery!!! yes:

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Specializes in Critical Care.
I am not saying do not go in to Nursing which is a wonderful profession. All I am saying is things will get harder under Obamacare for everyone. Doctors and Nurses and patients. Want to know what it will look like ? Check out VA hospitals. By the way, I have worked for Govt for some time, it took me awhile to realize that being efficient and smart was a big no no. Get in trouble for being to productive.

I'm not following you. Are you under the impression that Obamacare turns privately operated Hospitals into Government run Hospitals?

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Does this mean that nurses' pay is dictated by the government as well? How will this impact nursing education with the average age of nurse educators (Doctoral & Masters prepared) in the mid-to late 50s? What will happen to nursing programs in general? The decisions made at the national level have the potential to impact potential nurses, nurses, and educators at all levels from PN to PhD. What are your thoughts?

Nancy Pelosi said we had to pass the bill so we can find out what's in it. Obama said he would hold the hearings on the bill open to the public on C-span, but he did NOT make that happen. Everything waS done behind closed doors.

Who knows what is in the Law? Congress didn't when they voted for it. The devil is in the details, and I think we are in for a rude awakening. Of course, nurses pay and everything else will be dictated by the government.

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