How will Obama's health care plan affect nurses?

labcat01, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2008

https://allnurses.com/forums/f313/if-obama-becomes-pres-will-things-get-better-305259.html

This topic has been debated before. If Obama became president, it wouldn't be worth it for me to work. I imagine the nursing shortage would get worse. I couldn't afford to drive- the gas prices would be worse due to his "windfall" tax and the tax increases needed to pay for his programs would be too big for me to afford child care. Not to mention, I'm betting that malpractice rates would increase since there would required federal reporting on medical mistakes. I'm betting though that he won't get anything past congress and the next four years will be a lot like the last four years.

djc1981 · Jun 10, 2008

https://allnurses.com/forums/f313/if-obama-becomes-pres-will-things-get-better-305259.html
this topic has been debated before. if obama became president, it wouldn't be worth it for me to work. i imagine the nursing shortage would get worse. i couldn't afford to drive- the gas prices would be worse due to his "windfall" tax and the tax increases needed to pay for his programs would be too big for me to afford child care. not to mention, i'm betting that malpractice rates would increase since there would required federal reporting on medical mistakes.
i sure hope you are wrong when you say his chances of winning look good.

so, i take it your a democrat?

i really don't think it would be all doom and gloom like you make it sound. if mccain wins, it will be just as bad. we'd all be taxed to death paying for the iraq war for another 100 years!

northwestwind · Jun 10, 2008

LABCAT01, thank God you posted what you did.

If he is elected, wait for huge tax increases. We think it is bad now -just you wait.

But the truth of the matter is this: nurses are at the bottom of the ladder no matter what healthcare reforms take place. These reforms are at the FEDERAL level. They do not drill down into nursing practice; in fact they will serve to make it more difficult for doctors too. Massachusetts just made it more "affordable" for patients to access care, only to find there are not enough doctors to care for this increase in patients accessing the system.

No matter what happens, Republican or Democrat, who may bring more people into the system - there are not enough nurses or doctors to care for them. Nurses will see a flood of new patients, not a good outlook in our shortage so far.

The mess is going to get worse.....

NURSEOK5 · Jun 10, 2008

I hear ya labcat, right on........................ :yeah:

joshuaha · Jun 10, 2008

so, i take it your a democrat?
i really don't think it would be all doom and gloom like you make it sound. if mccain wins, it will be just as bad. we'd all be taxed to death paying for the iraq war for another 100 years!

this will happen regardless of who is elected. it is a simple consequence of paying for an entire war on credit.... sigh..... will we ever learn?!!!

hypocaffeinemia, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2008

https://allnurses.com/forums/f313/if-obama-becomes-pres-will-things-get-better-305259.html
This topic has been debated before. If Obama became president, it wouldn't be worth it for me to work. I imagine the nursing shortage would get worse. I couldn't afford to drive- the gas prices would be worse due to his "windfall" tax and the tax increases needed to pay for his programs would be too big for me to afford child care. Not to mention, I'm betting that malpractice rates would increase since there would required federal reporting on medical mistakes. I'm betting though that he won't get anything past congress and the next four years will be a lot like the last four years.

This is what we moderates call the "sky is falling" reaction to change, and every time I see it I'm more and more inclined to vote for Obama.

The gas prices would be worse? That's a bit straight out of 1984, ignoring the realities of the past leading to the present in fear of a future unknown. Chocolate rations come to mind.

Required federal reporting on medical mistakes? The horror! Imagine patients (consumers) aware of unsafe practices! We can't have that!

The reality is little will change. The insurance industry is a huge industry backed by powerful lobbyists and they will fight tooth and nail any change that doesn't benefit their bottom line. That's some mighty inertia for anyone earnestly seeking to enact major change to overcome. The reality is there will be a minor change or two-- perhaps for the better, perhaps for the worse. Of course the conservatives will do the chicken little act for anything proposed or passed, because that's how the political machine works.

In the end, it's a plank to win voters, not dissimilar to the empty promises offered on the other side, such as the promised end to abortion. It gets voters into the booths pulling levers.

labcat01, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2008

Of course the conservatives will do the chicken little act for anything proposed or passed, because that's how the political machine works. In the end, it's a plank to win voters, not dissimilar to the empty promises offered on the other side, such as the promised end to abortion. It gets voters into the booths pulling levers.

Just a guess here, but I don't think you are as moderate as you claim to be.

Listen- I'm an independent (I haven't said anything about supporting McCain). I wanted to be on the Obama bandwagon with all the cool kids and I wanted a candidate I could believe in too! Then I read Obama's blueprint for change (http://www.barackobama.com/issues/)

Agree with me or don't- but I beg you to read this for yourself!!!

wonderbee, BSN, RN · Jun 10, 2008

I see four more years of the same for us regardless of who is in the White House. Washington is in a state of political gridlock. Besides, anything that's going to really affect us is going to happen on the state level.

djc1981 · Jun 10, 2008

they way i see things....the country is not in a good place right now in many ways. how did we get to this? i'm not sure. but i do know that mccain has been in d.c. for about 200 years, and obama has been there for 4. who's more to blame??

GadgetRN71, ASN, RN · Jun 10, 2008

I have never before voted for a Republican president...but I will be voting for Mccain in November. As one of the CRNA's put it regarding Obama.."I just can't vote for someone who won't wear his country's flag". I find something very offputting about Obama. I don't quite trust him and say what you will about Hillary, at least her failings and issues were pretty much out there.

At first, I was going to vote for Obama, but like I said before, I just don't trust him. He doesn't have a heck of a lot of experience and he waffles on the issues when it suits him.

Not a huge McCain fan either but I pretty much hate all politicians, Just a matter of degree!

NursKris82 · Jun 10, 2008

If you're talking universal healthcare- the future is bleak for nurses. Canadian nurses are constantly being cut and with no shortage, we have no leverage. Anyway- people go on and on about how great it is, but the evidence proves otherwise. I think there is a happy medium somewhere- we just haven't got it right yet.