Health care reforms

[deermedicine]

We all know our health system is in trouble. Millions of men, women, and children are uninsured or underinsured. Reform must occur. What role can nurses playing in assisting the reform of our health care system in American?

Thank you

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

Although a lot of people complain, few have come up with workable solutions. I am in favor of a basic plan for everyone with increased benefits available for those who pay, such as paying for meds, nursing home, durable med. equipment. Alternately, inreased taxes could pay for identical benefits for all. Nurses can lobby for a workable plan and demand that nurses be included in the planning and implementation and administration of whatever plan there is.

[Freeda]

As a person who is not a nurse-yet, forgive my ignorance. I am very passionate about health care being available to all people-if necessary in the form of socialized health care. However, it has been suggested to me that this would not be in my best interest if I wanted to be a nurse. A nurse I know said "Just look at the Canadian nurses' situation" . What the heck does this mean? Would universal health care be a negative thing for nurses? In what way? And also what can nurses do to help make health care available to more people? My plan was to try to work in nursing for several years and then move on to a public health degree?.

[Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN]

Nurses who have become legislators are having some effect. As bedside/direct care nurses, no one gives a hoot what we think about it.