How would Medicare for all affect nursing?

15 hours ago, hppygr8ful said:

I just read an article comparing the UK system of universal health care as it is done in the UK and how that would compare to US Medicare for all. This comparison is relevant because Bernie Sanders proposal is largely modeled on the UK system .

The average wait time in the UK for planned medical procedures is 9 months and the treatment queues just keep getting longer. It takes 62 days for the average cancer patient to be seen by an oncologist. The percentage of patients who die of cancer is markedly higher in the UK than in the US.

The average nurse with 20 years experience gets around 34,000.pounds a year. That amounts to about 26,000.00 dollars a year in US dollars.

It has been estimated that Medicare for All would cost 32 Trillion over 10 years. An increase in the national debt the US cannot afford.

Hppy

https://finance.townhall.com/columnists/danieljmitchell/2019/04/09/medicare-for-all-would-copy-the-bad-features-of-the-uks-governmentrun-system-n2544488

https://www.google.com/search?q=How+much+does+a+nurse+make+in+the+UK&ie=&oe=

https://www.x-rates.com/calculator/?from=GBP&to=USD&amount=1

https://www.google.com/search?q=cost+of+medicare+for+all+32+trillion&ie=&oe=

How to pay for it remains the big question. I do think our system currently is bloated and beholden to commercial interests. Take away drug advertising and reductions in defensive medicine could improve that.

Regarding nurse wages, the would be a huge negative for our profession to see wages go in the toilet.

One big advantage of single payer is the ability to get fantastic prices on medical equipment because of the ability to buy in huge lots.

How long does it take to see an oncologist in the US? I'm always hearing of big waits for appointments from my ER patients.

1 hour ago, traumaRUs said:

Medicare for all would further break our system. We (US) can't afford this. I've lived in countries where healthcare for all is the norm. When we lived in S Korea and my son needed cardiac testing done, since we as US citizens paid top dollar for the services, we literally were seen first. We had an appt within 2 days (and this was not an emergency). When we arrived at the hospital, we were whisked to an exam room and walked out of there after all testing and explanations were done within 4 hours. I questioned the extremely full waiting room (people sitting with sleeping children, feeding some kids lunch, others with small children sleeping on mats on the floor and I was told that the usual wait for an appt was 4 - 6 months and that everyone arrives at the clinic at 8am and then they just wait to be called.

In Spain, I had a child in a Spanish hospital - again, because I was an American, I never waited in the waiting room, I was always seen first. Again, I questioned this because it didn't seem very fair but I was told that since the American government paid better than the Spanish government I got top priority care.

Is this fair? No. This is what Americans would need to get used to. And I personally don't see that happening.

I personally have two health insurances - and I still waited 2 months for major surgery which wasn't elective.

I disagree. While the associated costs of Universal Healthcare coverage will most certainly be staggering, in comparison, the U.S. has spent trillions (with a 'T'), on completely failed foreign policies-occupations of Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Libya.... Add to that, the U.S.'s unparalleled defense spending-nearly 3 times that of all other NATO countries combined! Then there's foreign aid in the form of economic and military assistance to developing countries, all the while, millions of our citizens live without very, very basic, yet essential healthcare. Personally, I can't believe that we as a democratic and free society can't do better by our citizens in terms of essential 'quality of life' issues . Though I am certainly no expert, it is very obvious to me that our current health care system is broken beyond repair and completely untenable for the future. The prospect for many of working all their adult lives only to have their entire savings devoured in hospital/medical costs is a sad, sad commentary for our country!

In terms of Emergent's question, I anticipate that if Universal Healthcare were to become the norm, the uptick in the utilization of healthcare services would demand far greater numbers of providers (especially nurses) to serve this greater need.

Great topic and one I have often wondered about. It would be great to hear from nurses across the pond, specifically, to speak to the poor wages.

I don't think universal healthcare will fly here for a number of reasons. I also think we can do much better than we do.

And what will happen to the executives of for-profit insurance companies who continue to "earn" their millions in yearly compensation, and their poor share holders?

There seems to be a misperception that Medicare care for all would add $32 trillion in healthcare spending, when the $32 trillion would replace about $34 trillion in spending, so I don't really get the argument that we can't afford to pay less for the same healthcare.

In terms of reimbursement, I think people confuse Medicaid, which reimburses poorly, with Medicare. The highest profiting hospitals in the country also have some of the highest proportions of medicare patients.

While there is potential for decreasing healthcare costs beyond just the $2 trillion in administrative cost reductions, even if costs otherwise remain the same it would still result in a much better healthcare system. Currently there are large discrepencies in how we spend our healthcare money which produces a lack of access to healthcare services and long wait times for specialists in parts of the country with large uninsured and Medicaid populations.

Medicare for all would just expand medicare to those under 65, it wouldn't change the basic characteristics of medicare; you could still choose to use an HMO, you can still purchase medicare plans through a private insurer, you still see non-government employed doctors and nurses and go to non-government run hospitals.