Socialized Medicine....WHAT IF?

Valerie Salva, BSN, RN · Nov 6, 2008

a national healthcare plan will have to be paid by "main street" as there called us during the election. our taxes will go to pay for a national healthcare plan. my concern is that nurses will see a freeze on pay or a freeze in hiring. both will make it difficult for those of us in this profession. ever since hillary referred to us as "waitresses", i have had concerns. as far as the health care that our armed services received, read some of the stories that were posted when our troops came back to the va hospitals. talk to some of the people at the bases here in our country. i was in the navy, long ago. the doctors were fresh out of school, and new. i just don't know, but i will be active when obama puts out his plan.

check snopes regarding hillary's alleged comment. it cannot be substantiated and is considered to be untrue.

i've always been a big admirerer of hillary's, so when i heard she'd made negative comments about nurses. i checked it out. i searched and searched, but could not find any news article anywhere that comfirmed the comments. the only writings i found with the false quote were the personal blogs of people who don't like hillary.

"many people across the internet are looking for the quote that clinton apparently said about nurses being "overpaid and undereducated." there are also rumors about her calling nurses "glorified waitresses" at one point. i scoured the net, including searching my graduate school databases with no evidence of these quotes. however, the website, snopes, thinks they found the source for the "overpaid and undereducated" quote.

in remarks by hillary clinton for the united nations fourth world conference on women (sept. 5th, 1995 in beijing, china), clinton said the following:

'as long as discrimination and inequities remain so commonplace around the world - - as long as girls and women are valued less, fed less, fed last,

overworked, underpaid

, not schooled and subjected to violence in and out of their homes - - the potential of the human family to create a peaceful, prosperous world will not be realized.'

http://idonthateamerica.com/2008/03/10/investigating-the-american-nurses-associations-endorsement-of-hillary-clinton/

neurorn6 · Nov 6, 2008

In regards to my quote regarding Hillary, I actually recall hearing it played on a news cast. Now this is going to sound a little "Oliver Stone" if you get my drift, but the sound bit only played once. In fact, when I heard it, I went to work that night and my co workers were talking about it. My concern is simple, while carrying for our fellow man is extremely important, I for one have to be realistic. I have a mortagage, 2 kids in college and other responsiblities that required that I have a certain income. I am lucky, I have a career that I love. I went into the healthcare field when nurses were lucky to make a little over $10,000. a year. While I make a bit more now, the cost of living is out stripping my income. Hopefully, a proposal can be worked out that offers Americans access to health benefits. But, I'll be honest, I can't afford for it to come out of my pocketbook. I grew up in the mountains of Virginia, with next to nothing. I do mean nothing. I put myself through school late in life. So, I can appreciate not having anything and feeling like the whole is against you. But one thing I have learned over the years is that if you work hard enough, good things can and will come your way. So, I will continue to work hard, but I will also watch closely what President elect Obama and Congress come up with.

GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN · Nov 7, 2008

i think that it is a real possiblility that a nationalized medical plan could really impact nursing in a negative way. some of us have been in the health field for many years and have seen both the good and bad that can come down the pike. it's all about money, at least that's my opinion. our govenment is based on capitalism. which means it's all about the all mighty dollar. if hospitals can save money by limiting or getting rid of rn's and letting lpn's or ua do our job they will. some of us have lived through that. while it is a wonderful dream that all americans will get the same kind of medical care that congress gets, i don't see that happening. it comes down to money. who do you think gets to pay for this? we do. we already pay for medicare and medicaid. how do you think we are going to pay for it? taxes, what else. but, do you think our salaries will go up? no! one thing to remember is that, while obama may have a plan, it's congress that has to put it in to action. the current congress has done little except give themselves a raise and bailout wall st. so for me, i say "be afraid, be very afraid".

right on !!!! :up:

GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN · Nov 7, 2008

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

The treatment unfortunately is not the same, talk to some doctors from Europe. You will not be treated for a catastrophic illness, you will not get that organ or bone marrow transplant, you will not go to the OR for cardiac sx or Ca (for example )if you are elderly, you will not suck up their money in the ICU if you are older than 75,, it is too expensive, you will wait months for a specialty consult,

On the positive side, jobs in the Hospice field will go up dramatically :cry: and maybe we can be more successful with getting physician assisted suicides legalized

HM2VikingRN, RN · Nov 7, 2008

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.

The VA is essentially a true socialized medical system. I think my wages are just fine in comparison with the other hospitals in MPLS.

ChicagoRN2010 · Nov 7, 2008

They tried getting rid of nurses in the 80s I believe it was and they found more med errors which cost more money, then they decided to re-hire the nurses because it costs less to pay nurses then have the tons of med errors. I highly doubt that they would attempt to phase RNs out of healthcare. It was tried and didn't work, so why would it work again? (that's a rhetorical question)

APRN., DNP, RN, APRN, NP · Nov 7, 2008

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?

Here's a scary thought: Imagine that you depended upon the government to give you pay raises instead of the individual hospital? Or how about this: Due to cost cutting measures, you are now losing your ward clerk, and you will be cleaning your own rooms in between patient discharges/admissions.

suanna · Nov 7, 2008

What people don't seem to understand is that we already have universal health care in the US. You can walk in to any ER- profit or non-profit and if you are ill you will be seen, treated and referred to appropriate care. You will get one heck of a bill, but what are they going to do if you don't pay it- repossess your cipro? What we don't have is universal coverage for health care- and the hospitals are the ones who end up getting taken to the cleaners. If they need new monitors HP wants the money before they deliver the goods, if they need a case of keflex- just send Upjohn a check and it will be delivered, but if some one has a 2 million dollar ICU stay- no money down is required. I don't know about you folks but I don't have an extra 2 million dollars in my savings to pay off an ICU stay- thank goodness my employer offers benifits. For those patients who have no insurance- the state has stepped in in the past with Medicaid. Unfortunately the states are cutting Medicaid faster than the feds are cutting Medicare. No one is cutting the cost of buying supplies and medications to treat patients- the hospitals are just supposed to " suck it up" . Nurses need to be aware that at some point soon nursing services are going to have to be cut and cut dramatically if hospitals are going to stay open. Good nursing care isn't going to be an option- the bare minimum required will be all that they an afford.

loriangel14, RN · Nov 7, 2008

They also save lots of money by providing far fewer costly tests to treat and diagnose illnesses, you'll see much less ct, mri, pet scans etc, Also once you hit a certain age you won't get treated for many things such as cancer that would cost much more than your life expectancy is worth, the ICU is another area that closes it's doors to you, happens in Europe

That does not happen in Canada.

h2ogoddess · Nov 7, 2008

Well, I do know this--what we have now is BROKEN and it needs fixed!

Lovely_RN, MSN · Nov 7, 2008

Never mind socialized medicine possibly affecting nursing jobs in the future.

The bigger problem that is happening right now is a lack of patients with the ability to pay their bills.

Hospitals See Drop in Paying Patients

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/07/business/07hospital.html?em

Units are being closed and staff are being laid off!

Nursing is NOT recession proof. :cry:

nursbee04 · Nov 9, 2008

Here's a scary thought: Imagine that you depended upon the government to give you pay raises instead of the individual hospital? Or how about this: Due to cost cutting measures, you are now losing your ward clerk, and you will be cleaning your own rooms in between patient discharges/admissions.

Um, this has happened at a hospital I worked at already. No ward clerk, they frequently have to clean rooms and the only person who gets a raise is the CEO. No government involvement there.