"Universal" Health Care + CRNA=??

GilbertDaddy · Dec 23, 2007

Just wanted to know what you think will happen to the CRNA profession if universal health care is adopted here in the US. Health care is a major issue now and all I hear is how it will effect the public. Nobody is talking about the possible effects on the health care workers including CRNAs.
Merry Christmas

Not to mention the economy as a whole - especially here in the SouthWest where we're going through a major housing bubble and/or recession.

Oh and Merry Christmas! :lol2:

Personally I really like Ron Paul as a nursing student. He's got tons of practical experience as an OB doctor (over 30 years I think) and knows from first hand experience what our current system is doing wrong and how to fix it, AND he understands that universal health care isn't the answer with our current deficit, etc.

I don't agree with him on a couple things, but I like the no-BS approach he brings to the table when he debates with the other repubs.

I've talked with a few other doctors and students on univ. health care and they're all against it. Most think it undermines the practice as a whole and puts takes care away from practitioners and puts it into the hands of the government. The same government that saw a hurricane coming but still managed to mess up relief efforts, the same one that has spent trillions on a war on drugs that still hasn't stopped kids from going down the street to their local dealer or from keeping illegal immigrants from importing, selling, and violently defending the illegal drug trade.

I'm just not confident enough in the current government to put my career in their hands..

I'm sure other candidates have opinions on healthcare, but I haven't heard another candidate who truly knows what the "normal" people (read: people not able to get spectacular government healthcare benefits) are going through. We're running out of money to support our current programs like social security and medicare, I don't know where we're going to get the money to afford universal health care. Someone will be paying for it and it won't be big businesses or the government, it will likely be us and I don't want to pay for it with my salary

As far as the CRNA-specific aspects of it, I'm curious because from what I understand the CRNA nurses have a good union and good "support". If the government steps in.. either nurses will start doing more things doctors currently do, or we may simply see many aspects of nursing replaced by lesser experienced LPNs or something simply due to the cost factor. Of course I don't see LPNs or CNAs doing Anesthesia, but if the C and A get dropped, there's tons of RNs to fill the gap for half the price and that's bad for everyone IMO.

I don't usually try to get too political since people love talking about politics as much as they enjoy chewing on glass, but these were a few healthcare-related videos that piqued my interest a few months ago when I was looking at YouTube's page on the candidate's stances on certain issues:

Here's one of his (ron paul's) healthcare ads:

Kinda corny (this one was built by the public volunteers I believe), but covers the basics in under 30 seconds:

My favorite is probably this one. I REALLY appreciate how he mentions how the creations of HMOs has helped everyone else profit EXCEPT for the doctors and how it undermines the doctor-patient relationship because the doctor loses freedom of how to practice what's truly best for the patient. Not to mention how the lobbies that came later were from the drug companies spending MILLIONS to help protect their profits.

More about how healthcare is out of the doctor or patient's hands:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSZq1Wkanxg

This one is a bit dryer than the others but has a lot of important people talking about the healthcare system in general, including the head of the GAO (Government Accountability Office), the US Controller General. The saddest part here is that he says he's given up on elected officials (save for Paul) and even our OWN government because they refuse to pay attention to the dangerous numbers that are going to potentially screw us over one day. Basically, the government is PAYING this man to run the numbers for us, but is IGNORING HIM when his educated research is showing that the sky is in fact falling :uhoh3:

This video is similar to the above, but focuses on the 60 minutes interview that the scenes in the above were taken from:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGpY2hw7ao8

As always, your mileage may vary :) But I'm happy an actual doctor is in the race this time instead of a greasy politician. I doubt Dick Cheney had to go broke over his heart surgery like many middle class Americans will when their children get sick and insurance decides to stop covering costs :angryfire

Ok ok, I'm out.. sorry.. I'm passionate about the healthcare issue given that it's the field I'll likely spend the rest of my days in