Socialized Medicine....WHAT IF?

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Socialized Medicine...what will happen if Obama changes the US health care system like he says he will and turns it into socialized medicine or something similar? What will the ramifications be for us nurses?

I don't think that it would be all that bad. How many hospitals close because they treat people with no insurance and don't get paid? I don't think that the governement would lower our wages or even have the authority to lower our wages. We wouldn't be government employees (although they do have great benefits) we would still be hospital employees and the hospitals would get paid for services rendered. I personally think that we really don't know what it is, all the specifics of it and it's just fear that drives people to be against it. How can the hospital or its employees loose when they are being paid for all services rendered. And we really don't know how Obama will revamp healthcare, just from his position on helping the little man, I can't see him not appreciating the work that healthcare providers do and try to short change them by limiting their income.That would hurt healthcare because people wouldn't want to work in the industry which still would limit access to healthcare and not solving the problem at all.

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Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

Why are you worried about your jobs, there will always be employment for good efficient nurses. The patients and the treatment will be the same, they never get any less in fact you may see an increase int he pt population with socialised medicine

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Specializes in Gyn Onc, OB, L&D, HH/Hospice/Palliative.

Without a doubt, anything subsidized by the Government will lead to the lowest wages they will get away with, it will also lead to poor access to health care and services, the Government can't run a business, just look at all the countries under socialized medicine, it would be a step backward, far far back ::(

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Specializes in Cardiac.

Honestly, I would think wages would go up. Think about it. More patients require more nurses...lack of nurses pushes pay up.

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Citizens in the entire industrialized world are en mass demanding that they are able to have a health care system just like that of the USA. They are concerned that they do not have the opportunity to lose everything that they have worked for due to a single catastrophic illness or injury. They long for the feeling of being unable to obtain health care insurance for themselves or their families should they have a pre-existing condition. They are concerned that drug, insurance and hospital revenues are just not high enough and they feel the need to do more----much more.

We MUST stop universal healthcare in its tracks. Now!!!!!!!!!!

I love dry humor. Good one.

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Yup, the wages at the VA are so horribly low.

Oh wait. No they aren't...

Nevermind. ;)

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Keep in mind that "socialized" comes in different flavors, with different degree of government involvement. In Canada, the Feds shell out cash to the provinces, set national standards for universality/portability/comprehensiveness, and then back off. The provinces administer what's basically a huge pool of insurance. Doctors are independent practitioners who then bill the provincial plan.

Wages for Canadian nurses is here (PDF, about 1 mb)

EDIT: the document takes forever to download! The wages start at $25/h for a new grad in PEI up to $38/h for a senior nurse in Alberta.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
I suppose your take would depend on whether you work to help others or work for the money.

Perhaps we should think of the millions without health care vs "lower wages."

To all those people who think socialized medicine does not work, why not do some research instead of relying on the MEDIA to tell you it doesn't work. Has anyone not learned from all these years that the media is paid off?!

The problem today is no one cares for their fellow man (or woman), its all about ME ME ME today.

Another thing, last time I checked our mail system is socialized (USPS), would you rather pay more for postage? Of course there are alternatives, and there always will be.

BTW, here is a ranking from WHO regarding health care systems worldwide... guess what, USA is 37..

It's not fair to imply that you work for either the money, or wanting to help people. Why can't it be both? Obviously I wouldn't do my job if I didn't want to take care of people, but I also can't have my income take a hit....I need to continue making at least what I make now. At least.

The two aren't mutually exclusive, so I don't think your statement is fair.

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Wow. Columbia, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, etc. are ranked above us! I don't think (and I say "I don't think" because Obama hasn't REALLY laid out the details of his plan) Obama's plan would really give us socialized medicine. Imagine if everyone with private insurance kept their insurance but those without insurance got something like Medicare. We'd have to make sure we're efficient so we're properly reimbursed, but there should be MORE people using the healthcare system, and potentially, at least, more nurses to treat them.

I just don't think anyone knows what will happen, but I'm opptimistic.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
It's not fair to imply that you work for either the money, or wanting to help people. Why can't it be both? Obviously I wouldn't do my job if I didn't want to take care of people, but I also can't have my income take a hit....I need to continue making at least what I make now. At least.

The two aren't mutually exclusive, so I don't think your statement is fair.

I understand your point and I agree, perhaps I should not say they are mutually exclusive. However, if we were able to choose our wage on a sliding scale with care being on the other side, how far would be too far? The truth is I don't know. What I do know is that universal healthcare will help out millions of people.

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Nurses I've worked with (mostly from Canada) say it is a very good thing. It has its' problems, but overall, they are grateful for their system.

This has been my experience as well.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.
Wow. Columbia, Cyprus, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, etc. are ranked above us! I don't think (and I say "I don't think" because Obama hasn't REALLY laid out the details of his plan) Obama's plan would really give us socialized medicine. Imagine if everyone with private insurance kept their insurance but those without insurance got something like Medicare. We'd have to make sure we're efficient so we're properly reimbursed, but there should be MORE people using the healthcare system, and potentially, at least, more nurses to treat them.

I just don't think anyone knows what will happen, but I'm opptimistic.

This to me makes it sounds like basically, Medicaid would be available to more people. I'm not sure I like the concept in general, for one thing the money has to come from somewhere, and I think it would result in even more people not *needing* to find employment to get the benefits....KWIM?

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