Home Health care expanding with universal health care?

[heartlover07, RN]

With the very likely reality that universal health care is upon us, what, if any, role do you think home health care will take in the grand scheme of it?

I am a home health nurse and I believe that home care nurses (NP's and docs too) have a unique opportunity help patients stay healthy, and out of the hospital. We can draw labs, provide medication teaching and "tweak" medications (with MD consultation) so that many needless visits to the hospital can be curbed. I think home health care nurses are a very cost effective way to provide preventive and even diagnostic ( to some extent) care without being a "drain" on the health care system at large. Of course, we do get paid but it has to be more cost effective than stepping foot in a hospital!

We also have several house call docs in our area who give preventive care to the elderly in their homes, it really helps to cut down on the hospital visits.

What are your thoughts?

[herheys8]

well im a new USRN here and i'm looking for petitions in california?do u know some?im here in US right now for tourist visa and i'm searching for hospital or nursing home who can sponsor me.i already have ielts.please i badly needed ur help for employment.somehwere in Los angeles maybe thanks a lot.

and by the way how can i post a new thread here?tnx so much

hoping i could have replies soon..

[It'sMe, RN, BBA, MBA]

I think your rush to think that Universal Care is upon us is premature. One only needs to go back to the beginning of Bill and Hillary's ill-fated attempt to realize that the US is not ready for socialized medicine. Why? Because the people that make the real rules would lose to much under it. The two largest opponents to Universal Care (Universal Insurance, Socialized Medicine, Government Paid Health Insurance, Government Controlled and Issued Health Care Services) will be HIAA and AMA. Single payer insurance would put all health care insurance companies out of business. They control a lot of the government through their donations to campaigns and special interest lobbist. Second is the AMA. Even today, most practicing MDs are small business owners. They perform a service, bill for it and get paid. They can work a lot or a little, their choice. They can charge whatever the market will bear. In fact, if you look back in history, all the noise about Universal Care started back in the 70s when we moved away from FFS to managed care. Younger MDs are more willing to work in some form of government controlled and sponsored health care enviroment. The older MDs will not want it to change. If you search the web you can find hundreds of seminars for MDs on how to expand their practice (hire young MDs to do the work) and make tons of money, even in this enviroment. So, in my honest opinion, I doubt the AMA will get behind any kind of Universal Care policy that would include curbing their small business practice.

We are probably looking at a one term liberal President that will be replaced by a conservative President. Party will not matter. Economics will matter. Interim President's during a long recessino do not historically fare well at the ballot box. Voters become fatigued from all the bad news.

I don't think anyone can tell you how Home Health Care will fare under Universal Care in the USA. We don't have any idea how it would be structed, how it would be allocated (rationed) and we don't know how it would be funded. Look at health care in other socialist countries and you might begin to see what it could possibly look like here in the USA. Thanks for the question.:typing