Obama's health plan

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Hey everyone,

I haven't had a real answer to my question from any of the references that I've looked at. I'm wondering if Obama's plan for healthcare will cause a substantial cut in pay for RNs/healthcare workers do to universal healthcare? I'm graduating in December with my BSN, and I'm just curious about this issue. Thanks for the responses.

Jazmine

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I think that's impossible to predict, but I see no evidence that it would do so.

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Hey everyone,

I haven't had a real answer to my question from any of the references that I've looked at. I'm wondering if Obama's plan for healthcare will cause a substantial cut in pay for RNs/healthcare workers do to universal healthcare? I'm graduating in December with my BSN, and I'm just curious about this issue. Thanks for the responses.

Jazmine

The paycut mantra is fearmongering. I can tell you as a federal employee that my pay is very very competitive with other hospitals in MPLS/St Paul.

See pnhp.org for an extensive discussion of this issue.

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Its true... He wants to cut alot of RNS and basically having it running as like a nursing home would... He would save alot of money but again we would be without a job... It would run as it would in Canada and my dad ending up in a hospital in Canada and it was aweful!!! you had to wait a year for a general heart cath... it was crazy!

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I have heard Obama speak up for nurses on many occasions. He would have no power to negatively impact our health care system. We now have the ERs packed with non-emergent needs. Medicare dependent elders cannot get doctors.

I am sure health care will change with Obama in the White House but I doubt it will negatively impact nurses. I am guessing it might be very good for nurses. We may see more Urgent Care facilities that will free up ERs. Elders may once again be able to be seen by doctors. This could decrease the amount of elders who cannot get meds or take only half doses knowing they do not have access to a physician to get more.

I read every day about how bad nursing is currently. I doubt it will be worse, it might be better. Nurses deserve the kind of positive press that Obama has provided so far. We need to make sure our voices are heard.

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Its true... He wants to cut alot of RNS and basically having it running as like a nursing home would... He would save alot of money but again we would be without a job...

Source, please?

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Its true... He wants to cut alot of RNS and basically having it running as like a nursing home would... He would save alot of money but again we would be without a job... It would run as it would in Canada and my dad ending up in a hospital in Canada and it was aweful!!! you had to wait a year for a general heart cath... it was crazy!

Can you provide some reference materials and or links? I haven't read or heard this yet. And Obama doesn't want a single payor system like Canada, from what I've read. He wants everyone to have access to private medical insurance.

Here is a link to what Obama wants for healthcare reform:

http://www.nursingworld.org/gova/obama/healthcare.pdf

Here is what Obama printed up for the ANA:

http://www.nursingworld.org/gova/obama/plannurses.pdf

One of his main focuses is that Obama wants to eliminate insurance companies being able to discriminate against pre existing conditions--something that is needed!

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Specializes in Corrections, Cardiac, Hospice.

I, for one, am very excited about Obama's plan for health care. He wants us to KEEP our currant coverage if we are covered through our employers. If people don't have insuance they can BUY INTO a federal plan, very similar to what the members of congress now have. He isn't talking about socialized medicine. He is talking about having the ability to HAVE insurance for many who don't currantly have it. How exciting is this? With so many people in our country doing without health insurance to actually have a plan on the table that is FAIR and DOABLE! We ought to be ashamed in this country that we don't have this in place already. How many people work 2 and 3 jobs to put food on the table and still can't pay their bills? Our neighbors must rent their home because their son was born premature and they STILL (after ten years) are paying on the hospital bill. Why is it that you can pay and pay on your insurance, but when something goes wrong you have to FIGHT for them to pay a claim? Why is it that you must work a job you hate because your child has asthma and no other insurance company will cover it as it is a "pre-existing condition." It is about freaking time we have someone willing to fight for our patients and their families rather than insurance companies.

*stepping off my soapbox now*

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Specializes in ICU, CVICU.

Let me preface this by saying that I am no Obama supporter so I might not have all the facts right.

As I understand it (let me know if I'm wrong), Obama is not looking to provide universal health care. Rather, he is going to have some kind of 3rd party medical insurance, similar to what medicaid/medicare is now, only this will be for people not insured by employers. He's stated that he plans to get rid of the tax cuts and use that money to pay for this plan.

So, I can't predict how his plan will effect nurses but nothing jumps out at me as being "OMG nurses are all screwed". Know what I mean?

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Specializes in cardiac ICU.

I attended a small gathering hosted by a physician that had the sole purpose of contrasting the healthcare plans of each of the two candidates. A healthcare economist spoke. His materials came from http://www.health08.com . The speaker did a fine job of presenting the material impartially, but he did say that in the end, the McCain plan would result in far more uninsured Americans.

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I have heard Obama speak up for nurses on many occasions. He would have no power to negatively impact our health care system. We now have the ERs packed with non-emergent needs. Medicare dependent elders cannot get doctors.

I am sure health care will change with Obama in the White House but I doubt it will negatively impact nurses. I am guessing it might be very good for nurses. We may see more Urgent Care facilities that will free up ERs. Elders may once again be able to be seen by doctors. This could decrease the amount of elders who cannot get meds or take only half doses knowing they do not have access to a physician to get more.

I read every day about how bad nursing is currently. I doubt it will be worse, it might be better. Nurses deserve the kind of positive press that Obama has provided so far. We need to make sure our voices are heard.

I think you kno I would be wrong. Obama did speak up for nurses, firefighters and police offers a few times. He said, he will guarantee the benefits of those. He wants to make this country a little bit like socialism country. After the great depression, we created so called, middle class. However, from 1979 to 2005, we don't have a middle class and there were no union movement. I'm hoping that after this financial crisis, we lay low again and have middle class and the re-appearance of union movement. Back then, auto workers had great benefits. I hope nurses will be the next to get great benefits during the lay low times.

This is just my analysis after seeing Paul Krugman's discussion.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Well, I don't have the source for my info but I also read that doing anything about healthcare wouldn't be done for Obama's first term anyway. It's just something he wants to get to.

Anyone else heard this?

:)Lisa

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