Health care bill passed. End of the world...?

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Without knowing the exact wording (I was working on Sunday)... Republican Minority leader said this was "Armageddon".

Well... we're all still here. No end of the world.

Of course... today it was the hot topic. The docs are the most verbal... 95% hate the bill. Actually... they pretty much seem to think its the end of the world too... or as I literally heard "The career path as a physician is dead."

Really? A little too far...? But all the docs agreed.

As for the nurses, less than 5% had an opinion. They just didn't seem to know a thing about it... or care.

How can you not care? Its our profession, our passion. And it will vastly effect our field... not today of course, but eventually.

The best part of today. Two different patients told me that Government was taking over their lives and couldn't do anything right. However, at the same time... they both were satisfied with their Medicare. =)

Anyhoot. I just wanted to see if anyone else has strong thoughts on this subject. Or any neat stories. Please, if you dare disagree with me... please post here, and I'll convince you my way. =P~

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I wonder if this will be one of those moments I remember.

Remember where you were when... they announced the gulf war?

When you heard that Princess Diana was killed?

When you heard about the first plane crashing into the twin towers?

When you heard that the health care reform bill passed?

And Slobgob... yes, I DO disagree with you.

Lisa ;-)

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Specializes in Critical Care.

>>Anyhoot. I just wanted to see if anyone else has strong thoughts on this subject. Or any neat stories. Please, if you dare disagree with me... please post here, and I'll convince you my way. =P~

And just what is "your way"? I read your post twice and didn't see anything about your opinion, only what you'd observed in others.

About those doctors? That doesn't seem to be the general physician consensus. The AMA had input into creating the bill and is in favor of it. They don't come out in favor of much of anything, especially something that they perceive might be detrimental to MD income, so that's quite a big deal.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/john-farrell/2010/03/22/the-obama-healthcare-bill-explained-why-the-doctors-like-it.html

http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20100319/NEWS/303199956/0#

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Windward: THANK YOU for the link!

I found this link on the ANA website:

http://www.nursingworld.org/FunctionalMenuCategories/MediaResources/PressReleases/2010-PR/ANA-on-HCR-Vote.aspx

Does anyone know WHY the American Nurses Association support the bill?

Lisa ;-)

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"And just what is "your way"? I read your post twice and didn't see anything about your opinion, only what you'd observed in others."

Actually... I never really showed my hand on purpose. There is WAY too much emotion out there... too much hyperbole being thrown out. I didn't want to agitate the waters just yet.

But if it helps. You could have seen my jest about the patients being so ignorant about where their Medicare comes from. And, cause I'm in a giving mood... I'll share that I'm a Berkeley-educated, peace-loving, hippie-liberal. =)

Thank you for the links. Interesting reads form quick browsing. Gotta go read the rest...

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"About those doctors? That doesn't seem to be the general physician consensus."

Oh, forgot this part.

I can only speak for our physicians who I generally think are good people... but their only points seemed to be:

1) Their profession is dead.

2) Its horrible being a MD.

3) They need a pay raise, not a pay decrease.

4) What we really need is tort reform (aka: Not letting them get sued.)

Actually... one doc was for the bill. He's a Euro-hippie.

As for the final point about Tort Reform. I gotta say, that I agree with. If MDs didn't have to pay so much money for , if device makers didn't have to suffer similar fates.... if we didn't have to practice so much defensive medicine.

Oh... is that a dream?

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not much in medical care has changed since passage of obamacare - just like before the bill, prices/costs are still rising faster than inflation, doctors are still falling behind economically due to simultaneous increase in education costs and insurers including government becoming tougher and tougher negotiators and thus doctors are becoming more assembly line mentality to make bucks (get in as many patients as possible per day), patients are increasing in percentage of substance abuse as certain generations are reaching age of more health problems, hospitals are striving to cut costs by placing more and more work down the salary ladder, and hospitals becoming more and more restrictive on who they will hire for nursing.

But its a lot easier to blame all ills on one thing when the solutions seem impossible and the future looks so uncertain.

I foresee a future 10 years from now where nurses do a lot more pre screening and prep on patients before doctor spends 5 minutes with patient, hospitals have a pseudo internship for nurses, and to work in nursing you need 3-4 years of education. USA nursing education is actually behind some countries we consider 2nd or 3rd rate nations.

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