Health Care pay decrease with new health care plan?

Nurses General Nursing

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Someone brought up a point in a thread about the possibility of health care salaries going DOWN if the new health care reform is passed......Has anyone heard of this???

In my opinion nurses don't get paid enough as it is, even nursing specialities don't get paid nearly what they should. With college tuition on the rise every year, most colleges about $1,000 a year per student. If health care salaries go lower, how in the world are we going to pay off student loans in a decent time. When I graduate my payments are going to be around 800 a month for 10 years! and thats just for my BSN not including Grad school.

What are your thoughts on this new insurance plan? Do you really think this will drive salaries down? or up? (I would think with more people going to the hospitals etc the demand for skilled care will go up, which will drive up salaries (supply and demand right?)

It seems private practice is not where the "moneys at" in this particular scenario, ...on the contrary. In reality, private practices will have an especially tough time remaining competitive against the monolithic and nationally funded health care facilities. Keep in mind, "private practice" in this respect is very similar to operating a small family owned hardware store operating next door to large national hardware store chain in comparison. How long can the small hardware store remain competitive when the operational costs are lower, purchasing power is greater and when the majority of all the customers are making major purchasing decisions at the hardware store chain?

I suspect, the majority of customers in this case will also be spending their health care dollars (probably through a form of taxation) and use public funded facilities and not at private practices.

To put this potential customer base in perspective, this currently equates to approx. 87 million potential customers who are currently uninsured in the country. These people are "waiting" to become "public health care customers" also a 75 % majority of the remaining "private health care" customers who are currently paying very high premiums at private insurance companies are also waiting and are planning to "switch" to the public funded health care system in the future.

Not sure exactly what percentage of the population that leaves in terms of customers who are willing to pay more money to use the services of private practices, but I suspect it's a very small percentage of the actual population.

Not sure if that leaves caregivers in the cold exactly, but it does seem it will be providing them with many more "paying customers" than we currently have at the moment. We will definitely not have to "close" any hospitals anytime in the immediate future as currently being demonstrated under our current private heath care system.

If anything, it seems like an anticipated increase in customers will provide many more opportunities for care givers, including the expansion of the nurse practitioner role and noted improvements in staffing levels in the hospital setting.

Remember, hospitals will no longer be a "for profit" venture, so cutting staffing levels to save money and to increase profits does not serve any actual profitable purpose because these are government operated institutions providing the public with a required public service.

Therefore, staffing ratios are more likely to become nationally standardized with respect to served populations, demographics and/or other considerations very similar to how any other public services are functionally operated in the community to serve the publics interest from a city hall and voting taxpayer perspective.

I think that doctors/nurses will be over worked (wayy more than they already are) and request more pay, and the hospitals refuse to give more pay, so they leave. Leaving us in a bigger shortages, longer wait times, more and more over worked -under paid nurses/doctors, leading them to leave (dominos effect)

Just imagine 100 MORE people going into a major city hospital, which isn't that huge of a number, but imagine how much MORE work its going to be for nurses and doctors, how much longer wait times is going to be..

I think that if Obama really wants this to work in the way that he wishes it to, he needs to set a minimum of how many nurses work per bed, and doctors per bed, which will require hospitals to HIRE more doctors and nurses, so that a huge jump in patients wont be such a huge effect (WHILE MANDATING SALARY MINIMUM, AND COST OF LIVING RAISE EVERY YEAR) I know that sounds far fetched but is it really? If the customer base increases (more like when) they will need more staff, BUT wont hire more staff, just overwork the staff they already have present. What do you think?

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I wonder anyone read the last news about the medical reform. They are cutting hospital moneys and hospital already losting moneys, but government is cutting hospital moneys. When the hospital is losting moneys and the they have to take an extra cut from the government. What happen to the CEO? Are they willing to cut their salaries for others? Or are they willing to back down their salaries for not firing all these people? Do managers think about the nurses?

The reasons, I am asking all these questions is because hospital is like a chain. If the big guys don't make as much, what happen to the small people. ...

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[quote=chrisciwi;372671

I think that if Obama really wants this to work in the way that he wishes it to, he needs to set a minimum of how many nurses work per bed, and doctors per bed, which will require hospitals to HIRE more doctors and nurses, so that a huge jump in patients wont be such a huge effect (WHILE MANDATING SALARY MINIMUM, AND COST OF LIVING RAISE EVERY YEAR) I know that sounds far fetched but is it really? If the customer base increases (more like when) they will need more staff, BUT wont hire more staff, just overwork the staff they already have present. What do you think?

I wish president Obama think of that as well, but he is a government. Also, what happen to the lawsuit that doctor and nurse receive. Why the government does think of that because the reasons for all these X-ray and waste from hospital because hospital, doctor and nurse need to do that to cover themselve. If you talk about England, I remember English people don't sue as much as people in US. Majorities of health cost is because . I did not heard about one sentence in the Medical reform news about malpractice insurance that doctor is paying. If this is going to this way. Doctors will be in more trouble than nurses because majority doctors who graduate from medical school. They are already in 200 thousand dollars in debt. Then, when they go to residency they are only making like

Sorry to say these things about our government, but it is hard for me to accept to have a lower stuffing or losting anyone in my job. I saw many nurse got fired from hospitals that they have been working there for more than 10 years. They never have problem until this year because their hospital losting moneys. Their manager has to find an excuse to fired them. They started to make up and started to write up little things you and take it to HR. You are got... :angryfire

When I went to my orientation, these are nurses who tell me the story about their career. I wish I know it before I go to nursing school. I won't pick nursing even I care about people and have the passion to take care of people. But if hospital treated me like that when I am so loyal to them. It is hurt and really hurt...

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I also heard something about Obama wanting to implement student loan forgiveness for anyone graduating into a healthcare field. **crosses fingers**

I had not heard about this. I heard that he was giving more money to attract more nursing instructors and more to the NELRP, but nothing about paying back loans for all medical staff.

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Has anyone even seen copies of this supposed plan? Where are all the details? Seriously, I think they will pass it without anyone even knowing what is in it. If anyone knows where there is a copy of this plan please let us know. I don't mean "fluff" either. I mean nitty gritty details.

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Specializes in Respiratory Care/Step-down.

Doctors and admin. will probably make less under the plan (newly hired admins, older ones probably freeze). We just may not see substantial raises.

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Has anyone even seen copies of this supposed plan? Where are all the details? Seriously, I think they will pass it without anyone even knowing what is in it. If anyone knows where there is a copy of this plan please let us know. I don't mean "fluff" either. I mean nitty gritty details.

There is no definite "plan" as of now -- several different committees in Congress are discussing and writing multiple plans now; there will eventually be a single, final proposal passed in the House and a single, final proposal passed in the Senate, and then those two plans will have to be reconciled into a final bill. Stay tuned! :)

There is quite a bit of coverage "out there" of what proposals are currently being discussed in the various committees, if you choose to go looking for it ...

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Wound Care.
Interesting point. i agree wasteful spending needs to be gone. But this new plan should put the care givers out in the cold, because that will drive people and doctors away from hospitals and stuff, and into private practice

Those who can be treated in private practices should be treated in private practice. Hospitals are closing all over the place due to the uninsured going to the ER for an ear infections and other minor problems...this is not what hospitals should be treating.

If we have the option of coverage for all the hospitals will benefit in guaranteed reimbursement for all who get admitted. As we stand today we are seeing sicker patients(waiting to the last minute for treatment) and more uninsured. That will take a hospital down quickly.

We've had 5 hospitals close in the last year in my area.

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Those who can be treated in private practices should be treated in private practice. Hospitals are closing all over the place due to the uninsured going to the ER for an ear infections and other minor problems...this is not what hospitals should be treating.

If we have the option of coverage for all the hospitals will benefit in guaranteed reimbursement for all who get admitted. As we stand today we are seeing sicker patients(waiting to the last minute for treatment) and more uninsured. That will take a hospital down quickly.

We've had 5 hospitals close in the last year in my area.

WoW where is this at???

The hospitals here in Charlotte don't seem to be affected by the economy, I have even heard plans of a new hosiptal being built

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Specializes in ER OR LTC Code Blue Trauma Dog.
wow where is this at???

the hospitals here in charlotte don't seem to be affected by the economy, i have even heard plans of a new hosiptal being built

i disagree that hospitals are not affected by the economy because there are 87 million uninsured people in the system.

(source: http://www.cnn.com/2009/health/03/04...pidemic.obama/)

so, who is going to pay hospitals to keep the lights on?

basically, there are not enough insured people and way too many uninsured people in the country. the math tells the story in which direction it is heading.

hospitals are forced to close when they can no longer function financially. many hospitals have already arrived at this point. many more are getting there. not enough money coming into the system to keep it sustainable. it's a matter of time.

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