Universal Health Care... what would this mean...

Nurses Activism

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hypothetically, how would universal healthcare affect us as nurses? the demand? our salaries? ive had a taste of the whole universal healthcare thing with the movie Sicko coming out and the upcoming election... but i dont know enough to say anything... any ideas?

:cheers:

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Specializes in Medical Surgical.

Very interesting topic. I have always thought that one thing that might happen is that a lot of older people would quit working, or at least drastically scale back their hours. Many people are working full-time because they have to have insurance. Since a lot of nurses are older, I think it would make the nursing shortage even worse than just the greater number of people seeking/getting care would.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.
Very interesting topic. I have always thought that one thing that might happen is that a lot of older people would quit working, or at least drastically scale back their hours. Many people are working full-time because they have to have insurance. Since a lot of nurses are older, I think it would make the nursing shortage even worse than just the greater number of people seeking/getting care would.

I've never even thought of that. You would think that would make nsg salaries go up but I doubt it. Looking at VA salaries locally the nurses there work for less and the conditions are worse -- great benefits though.

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Hello Everyone!

With the presidential elections approaching, I am reluctant as of who to vote for. I will be recieving my BSN this summer and was wondering if anyone has any opinion, experience etc... on/with Universal Healthcare. I am not trying to spark a political debate, but Universal Healthcare will effect RN's tremendously.

A) Does anyone know what will happen to our pay?

B) Patient to nursing ratios?

C) Any other pertanent information?

Thanks-:redpinkhe

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Specializes in ER, Infusion therapy, Oncology.

I know there are different ideas on healthcare reform, but just for an example, there is single-payer healthcare plan something like they have in Canada and part of Europe. Everyone gets a government issued health card. Payment would be provided by government-operated programs,funded by taxes. Hospitals would have pre-set yearly budgets, and physicians would be reimbursed by pre-set fees. Where do you think nurses will fall in this? This is just one of several different plans that have been discussed. I am very concerned about our government trying to set up an agency to make sure 300 million people are insured. It would have to be the biggest government agency in history, and we would have to pay the salaries of the unknown number of beuracrats needed to pull this one off. Can you imagine the red tape. I look at the VA and the county run hospitals and it scares me to death. We have some major problems to overcome.

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i know there are different ideas on healthcare reform, but just for an example, there is single-payer healthcare plan something like they have in canada and part of europe. everyone gets a government issued health card. payment would be provided by government-operated programs,funded by taxes. hospitals would have pre-set yearly budgets, and physicians would be reimbursed by pre-set fees. where do you think nurses will fall in this? this is just one of several different plans that have been discussed. i am very concerned about our government trying to set up an agency to make sure 300 million people are insured. it would have to be the biggest government agency in history, and we would have to pay the salaries of the unknown number of beuracrats needed to pull this one off. can you imagine the red tape. i look at the va and the county run hospitals and it scares me to death. we have some major problems to overcome.

see the conservative nanny state at http://www.conservativenannystate.org/cnswebbook.pdf . we spend far more on administration of health care in the us than any other country. 25% of our health care costs are for administrative costs and profit. social security is administered for less than a penny on the dollar. medicare operates at about 3-5%. the private sector is more expensive!

however, even with these changes, the united states would still stand

apart from the rest of the world due to the huge amount of money that we spend on administering the health care system. the system of competing private insurers adds enormously to the cost of the health care system. the direct cost of administering the insurance industry is equal to approximately 12 percent of the country’s health care bill.11

we need to make the private sector start competing:

in this situation, the nanny state conservatives are strongly opposed to

giving people a choice. they want the nanny state to ensure hefty profits for the

financial industry, the health insurance industry, and internet service providers

even if means higher prices, poorer service, and a less efficient economy.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care, ICU.

There is a lot of information on both sides of this issue. If you look at one set of statistics you will be sure that universal health care is the only logical and compassionate answer -- at least until you look at the next set of statisics that will prove that no one will get good health care under a UHC program. I'm not sure our current system works well for those w/ coverage and there are definitely those who are not being adequately served by the current system but looking at what the gov't can do w/ the tax dollars we entrust to them I'm pretty sure they can't do anything better. I am not willing to lose the coverage I have now for the hope of a better system. I rather concentrate on finding ways to cover those who are not adequately covered.

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I just finished watching the democratic debate and after listening to both candidates discuss universal health care coverage I thought I'd touch base with all of you to get your opinion on the subject.

Would caps be put on nurse/pt ratios? If there is a massive nursing shortage now (lack of nursing professors, rising cost of college tuition doesn't help), I could only imagine what it would be like after adding millions more to the health care "pool".

What impact would this have on working environments and salaries?

Does anyone really believe anything like this would ever get passed?

I'm all for universal health care on a very superficial level, it sounds good...but what is the point if patient outcomes are terrible?

I'm just skeptical something like this could be executed in a fashion that accomplishes any form of wellness.

12 days until Valentine's Day!!! :redpinkhe

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Would caps be put on nurse/pt ratios? If there is a massive nursing shortage now (lack of nursing professors, rising cost of college tuition doesn't help), I could only imagine what it would be like after adding millions more to the health care "pool".

I don't know the answers to all of your questions, but I do have a suspicion people have a tendency to get sick and injured whether they have insurance, or not. The difference would be made in the fact sick people without insurance wait until they are a lot sicker before they go for help. By then, their problems are compounded 10 fold, at least, thereby placing a much bigger burden on society and the healthcare system.

Take, for example, a diabetic who receives regular care and medications, as opposed to one who does not. Amputations, renal failure, deaths or permanent disabilities are much more costly to society than would have been regular vials of insulin.

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in theory, universal healthcare sounds good.

but i think pt outcomes would suffer drastically.

much longer wait times, regardless of acuity level.

i'm not sure it would affect nsg, but would certainly affect pts.

leslie

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Specializes in Med/Surg Hospice.

Letting the government run our healthcare system is a bad idea. Canada and

England both have "Universal Healthcare" and many of their residents come to the

United States to receive healthcare. Adding more government control to our lives

and our healthcare system will most certainley cause even more problems. Nurse

to patient ratios will get worse, nursing pay will get worse, and patient care will get

worse. There needs to be a concerted effort to educate people on how to use the

healthcare system, instead of going to the ER when you have a cold; learn to treat

it your self. I am sure a " How to properly utilize the healthcare sysyem for

DUMMIES" book could be written. Look at the VA healthcare system, or MEDICARE,

both are basically "Universal healthcare" and the care that the patients get is often

sub-standare by normal consumer standards. If you or I want lower healthcare

costs the first place to demand change will be at the state level in the form of Tort

Reform laws. I for one just want the government to leave me alone, no taxes, let

me choose my own healthcare or not, stop giving handouts to people who make bad choices, and represent the people like they're supposed to.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Letting the government run our healthcare system is a bad idea. Canada and

England both have "Universal Healthcare" and many of their residents come to the

United States to receive healthcare. Adding more government control to our lives

and our healthcare system will most certainley cause even more problems. Nurse

to patient ratios will get worse, nursing pay will get worse, and patient care will get

worse. There needs to be a concerted effort to educate people on how to use the

healthcare system, instead of going to the ER when you have a cold; learn to treat

it your self. I am sure a " How to properly utilize the healthcare sysyem for

DUMMIES" book could be written. Look at the VA healthcare system, or MEDICARE,

both are basically "Universal healthcare" and the care that the patients get is often

sub-standare by normal consumer standards. If you or I want lower healthcare

costs the first place to demand change will be at the state level in the form of Tort

Reform laws. I for one just want the government to leave me alone, no taxes, let

me choose my own healthcare or not, stop giving handouts to people who make bad choices, and represent the people like they're supposed to.

Well, I accidentally hit the "thanks" button, instead of the "quote" button. You can be sure I did not mean to thank you for this post. I meant to ask you how sick people made bad choices. Sure, some have. Some people don't eat right, or some people smoke and do drugs, or drink. But, exactly what bad choice did my mother make when she got breast cancer and her insurance premiums went up to over $1,000.00 per month? (Which happens to be more than 50% of her income.)

What bad choice did my sister-in-law make when she was diagnosed with diabetes and now she can't buy insurance at any price. (She used to have it through her employer. Now, she has a different job and with a small business owner who tried to purchase insurance for her, but was refused because of her diabetes.) What bad choice did the working class parents of a child with leukemia make? I suppose it was that they settled for jobs without health insurance. What bad choice did the factory worker make, who had health insurance before they shipped his job overseas and what bad choice are you going to make when some day, for one reason, or another, beyond your control you need more insurance than you've got, or you've been canceled because of some strange, but all too common, diagnosis?

I will be asking the moderator if there is any way to remove the accidental thanks I gave you. I hope there is. I really do. In the meantime, I'd like to see your data for all the Canadians and Englishmen who have been breaking down our borders for healthcare. You might also look at how many Americans buy their prescription drugs in Canada because they can't afford them here.

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