ObamaCare/Health Reform Law Blamed for Nursing Strikes

Published

Article claims that the new healthcare reform laws will increase workloads and make worse the shortage of primary care physicans. This in turn increases stresses on the nursing staff, which may lead to them going out on strike...

http://industry.bnet.com/healthcare/10002427/nurse-strikes-could-be-more-dangerous-to-patients-because-of-reform/

Ok, am going to warn many of you, do not read this article if you have *not* taken your blood pressure meds today.:D:D

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Specializes in Gyn/STD clinic tech.

i just took my dyazide, but i'll have a look anyway.. haha

i am going to go read it in full and report back my 2 cents.

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Specializes in Emergency & Trauma/Adult ICU.

Pffftt ...

The article raises some issues regarding physician workload in and out of the hospital that the public is largely unaware of, and that's fine.

But it then bizarrely attempts to somehow connect this with nurse staffing and labor issues.

IMO, not much to get upset about here, as there's not much of substance.

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Specializes in Trauma.
Pffftt ...

The article raises some issues regarding physician workload in and out of the hospital that the public is largely unaware of, and that's fine.

But it then bizarrely attempts to somehow connect this with nurse staffing and labor issues.

IMO, not much to get upset about here, as there's not much of substance.

Agreed.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

No substance to this "article" at all. He provided no logical link from the health care law to increased job actions by nurses (only 17% of which are even unionized).

As to his comparison between nurses and firefighters and cops, there's one HUGE distinction... the former are, by and large, employed by private employers, many of which are for-profit enterprises. The latter are (exclusively?) employed by government agencies (and provided many perqs.) Additionally, the latter group are nearly universally unionized - and provided civil-service protections, to boot.

If a no-strike law is to be put in place then perhaps nurses should be given what airline pilots have: By Federal law, outgoing contracts remain in force until a new contract is agreed upon.

This is nothing more than a hit piece on the concept of nursing unions, with no data (or even sound reasoning) included.

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Specializes in ER, Trauma.

Keep in mind that the whole controversy about health care reform boils (pun intended) down to the haves vs the have nots.

To borrow a phrase, "we need guarenteed healthcare, not insurance."

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Is it just me, or does anyone find it more than a little odd that the report linking nurses going out on strike and patient outcomes, comes on the heels of the passage of "ObamaCare", which by all accounts is going to increase workloads for nurses, especially those working in hospitals?

Yes, the new law does allocate funding for various areas of nursing, but IIRC, much of that goes towards advanced practice nurses, and or finding ways for nurses to lessen the impact of doctor shortages. Don't think there was a whole lot to address problems of nurses working at the bedside. Could be wrong though.

Anyway, could there be any sort of potential plan afoot to put nurses in the same category as say airline pilots or certain civil servants (here in New York we have the "Taylor Law" which bans certain workers from going out on strike, and imposes hefty fees on those that do), to keep them from walking out?

I mean if conditions for many nurses at the bedside are bad now, things can only get worse with a large influx of newly insured patients seeking care. In theory this should put nurses in the driver's seat (for once), in demanding better working conditions and wages, however that would drive up costs which despite Obama's pledges isn't supposed to happen with the new laws.

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Keep in mind that the whole controversy about health care reform boils (pun intended) down to the haves vs the have nots.

To borrow a phrase, "we need guarenteed healthcare, not insurance."

Obama and that Pelosi woman can call this new law anything they want, but it is more about insurance reform (or beating down insurance companies, if you will), than anything else. However just as with the banking industry, anyone who believes the large insurance and healthcare networks are going to roll over and play dead just because Washington D.C. says so, is in for a large shock.

Every single hospital, healthcare network, doctor group and doctor in priviate practice is going over this new law with a fine toothed comb to see where and how it affects them. Hospitals and healthcare networks may very well welcome a new large influx of patients, but depending how much it costs to treat said persons, and how much they are reimbursed and or "make" in terms of profit or loss is going to drive the bottom line. My wager is a whole lot of people are going to finally get insurance, which is good, but then find out even with coverage they still are going to have to dig deep into their pockets to pay for what insurance would not or does not pay for in full.

Medicare and Medicaid are expensive plans for both doctors and hospitals due to the massive paperwork and other compliance rules, all for well below what a hospital's or doctor's normal billing rate. Until now those costs have been recouped by demanding higher rates from insurance companies, but there are already whispers in the wind that practice may not go on much longer. Bottom line is most insurance companies are for profit businesses, and if they cannot do so, their share prices drop, and the company goes bye-bye.

My worry is for bedside nurses being caught up in the middle of all this. Advanced practice nurses will go off and do their thing, while hosptials claim there is a "shortage of nurses", and start to peel yet more functions away and create yet more unlicensed personnel to "help" with said shortage. There is also the very real threat that the nurse to patient ratio will grow larger, and or working conditions so bad nurses will head for the hills in droves.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
Anyway, could there be any sort of potential plan afoot to put nurses in the same category as say airline pilots ... which bans (them) from going out on strike, and imposes hefty fees on those that do), to keep them from walking out?
I could only hope so.

Do you realize that, for airline pilots, Federal law mandates that an expiring remains in force indefinitely until a new contract is signed? That doesn't sound like such a bad gig to me.

I've got a good friend who flies for Southwest and believe me, he's doing much better than any nurse I know.

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"ObamaCare" "...that Pelosi woman"....hmmmm...no slanted viewpoints there.....

The healthcare reform that was passed is nowhere near perfect, but it is a start.

I can GUARANTEE there would have been ZERO healthcare reform in a John McCain administration!

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.
"ObamaCare" "...that Pelosi woman"....hmmmm...no slanted viewpoints there.....

The healthcare reform that was passed is nowhere near perfect, but it is a start.

I can GUARANTEE there would have been ZERO healthcare reform in a John McCain administration!

Funny, the very first thought elicited from the "that Pelosi woman" comment was the image of McCain frantically pointing at Obama saying, "that one..."
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Specializes in They know this too!.

Just to bring this back up um, there are some strikes going on right this moment but I don't see any threads about it. hmmmm....

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