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

[nurseyNJNYC]

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:

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

The myth of Tort costs:

No evidence of significant effects on health care costs

The cost of medical malpractice claims and litigation is so small a part of national health care expenditures as to be insignificant--even as calculated by Towers Perrin, which indicates its tort cost estimates (Chimerine and Eisenbrey 2005). According to Towers Perrin, medical malpractice tort costs, broadly defined to include the costs of insurance industry overhead (including profits) and claims handling, as well as all claims paid without litigation, totaled $28.7 billion in 2004, only 1.5% of the nation's $1.9 trillion bill for health expenditures. The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) concludes that "even a reduction of 25 percent to 30 percent in malpractice costs would lower health care costs by only about 0.4 to 0.5 percent" (CBO 2004, 6). To put the insignificance of this into context, health care inflation in 2004 would have been 7.8% instead of 8.2%.

If, as Towers Perrin has claimed, damages awarded to plaintiffs are 46% of total tort costs (Tillinghast-Towers Perrin 2003, 17), and non-economic damages are about half of all damages awarded to plaintiffs, then fully eliminating noneconomic damages in medical malpractice (and the attorney fees associated with them) would have a negligible effect on U.S. health expenditures, reducing them by 0.5% or less.5 It follows logically that legislative changes like those recently debated in Congress that would cap such damages at $250,000 would have an even smaller effect.

http://www.epi.org/content.cfm/bp174

[icyounurse, BSN, RN]

Scottlgarrett - my "thanks" was on purpose. I am opposed to government run Universal Health Care. Unfortunately, no matter what the system, there will always be a few that fall through the gaps.

To Miss Chybil - regarding your sister-in-law that changed jobs and now can't get coverage because of her diabetes. Now she has a pre-existing condition. I thought that was what HIPAA was for. Go to www.dol.gov and select Health Plans and Benefits for additional info.

And for the uninsured parents of a child with leukemia - we already have government programs in place for catastrophic illnesses.

Factory workers whose jobs are shipped overseas? Then they are going to have to get another job - no matter what. They'll still have to feed, house, clothe themselves. I don't think that it is unreasonable that they also take care of their own healthcare.

And for your mom, I'm sincerely sorry for the burden that this must be for her. Her healthcare insurance is now $1000 per month? At this time she is not one of the charities that I choose to contribute to. I think that her family and those that volunteer to do so should be assisting paying that bill. Please do not force me to. I have enough responsibilities with my own family. And I am not asking that others help me with those responsibilities. And if it ever gets to the point that I need help, then I will ask it of my family, my friends, my church, or volunteer organizations. I will not attempt to force strangers to assist me.

To Icyounurse: Congratulations on your relocation. I hope that you will be happy and profitable in your new home. In the meantime, please do not ask me to pay your health insurance - that's what Cobra is for. Cobra is too expensive? Mmm, then maybe a second job is in order - just like I have to have to pay my bills.

The following statement is not directed towards anyone on this board - it's just a general statement to the world: Please! Stop asking for my money. It's MY money. I worked for it. I earned it. I'll decide what I want to do with it and who I want to give it to. If YOU want money, then you must work (and work hard), just like I have to.

I'm probably a little extra annoyed about this subject right now, because I just did my taxes. And before I was done, I was vomiting and having palpatations. I love this country. I'm proud to live here and I'm grateful to live here. But what I have to pay in taxes - federal, state, personal property, etc. is OBSCENE! :angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

Um, excuse me did I say anything about you paying my bills? Funny, I don't think I did. I was just trying to make the point that there are not any very good programs in place for people transitioning from jobs or out of school/moving ect. And COBRA? Puh-lease. If you want to pay 700$ a month for insurance when you are healthy and young, you go right ahead.But I am not rich and 700$ is alot of money for me right now. Personally I think its a huge rip off. But I would like to point out that if I got into trouble with my health while uninsured I never said I wouldnt pay for it. I just think there needs to be a better system. If you are naive enough or well off enough to think the current system is the best, I really hope life never deals you a bad hand and puts you without insurance.

[scottlgarrett]

Does anyone believe that our government will do any better with a national healthcare plan than they have done with social security? It is just going to be more money out of our paychecks and into the hands of the politicians. Socialism is not an American value.

[Noryn]

We simply pay too much in taxes not to receive universal healthcare. We waste too much money as well, if we have money to pay for wars, bridges to no where, museums for Woodstock, endless studies at universities, etc then we have enough to pay for healthcare for our citizens. Actually I can think of nothing more important than good health so it should be the number one priority.

As long as the lobbyists are in charge though it wont happen. Our system is broke, we spend more than other countries and receive worse results as far as healthcare goes. Our working poor and middle class are getting hammered. One major accident and say hello to a bankruptcy.

Again we just pay so much in taxes many cannot afford healthcare on their own. As a nurse I cannot count the number of patients I saw who waited until they received Medicare to get care so it has to be a lot better than nothing at all.

[jojotoo, RN]

HM2Viking: I was unable to quote your post (technical problem?), but if I understand it correctly, you are citing a study that compares VHA to Medicare and other "managed care systems". And VA came out ahead. Is this the same VA that in recent years has been the subject of 60 Minutes investigations? I only know a few nurses that work for the VA, and the stories they tell don't sound any better than stories I hear about other hospitals.

I was unfamiliar with NCQA and had to look it up. NCQA states that it is a private not-for-profit organization. I was unable to ascertain how they were funded. Are they like JCAHO (which basically extorts money from hospitals)? I know that if you speak to most nurses and doctors, they will say that patient care has not improved with JCAHO.

Would the same nurses and doctors say the same about NCQA and their studies and guidelines? This is an honest question that I invite responses to - I don't know the answer.

I would like to see some studies that compare outcomes from managed care to outomes from private health insurance.

[jojotoo, RN]

Socialism is not an American value.

:yeahthat:

[sharlynn]

Amen sister. And actually not everyone who is uninsured is so because they have "made bad choices". Me and my husband recently moved and are starting new jobs and it takes 30 days to get the insurance. If you are in an accident or get cancer or something in the meantime? Oh well. I think the whole system has some major flaws personally.

My husband and I were recently in the same position with insurance. Fortunately , we stayed healthy until it kicked in!

But, I do remember making Home Health visits at one job several years ago and having diabetic patients trying to decide between food or prescriptions. Food usually won!

[scottlgarrett]

O.K here is my sob story: I work 2 jobs, I work 7 days a week. Health insurance at job # 1 would cost me 1400.00 dollars per month, thats 700.00 per pay check, at job 2 1000.00 per month or 250.00 per pay check. I insure out of my own pocket my wife and my 2 kids for 150.00 per month with a $ 10,000.00 deductable, my wife has a pre-existing condition which is not covered and I pay for that all on my own. I cannot even deduct the premium I pay off of my income tax. I don't whine about it I just do it.

Those of you who are whining about COBRA, my violins are playing. If you are going to switch jobs and move, perhaps you should think about saving up enough money to cover COBRA while you are in transition, if you think you cannot save the money then you should reevaluate your spending habits. makes sense to me.

[GrumpyRN63, ADN, RN]

Does anyone believe that our government will do any better with a national healthcare plan than they have done with social security? It is just going to be more money out of our paychecks and into the hands of the politicians. Socialism is not an American value.

Amen Brother :w00t:

[icyounurse, BSN, RN]

O.K here is my sob story: I work 2 jobs, I work 7 days a week. Health insurance at job # 1 would cost me 1400.00 dollars per month, thats 700.00 per pay check, at job 2 1000.00 per month or 250.00 per pay check. I insure out of my own pocket my wife and my 2 kids for 150.00 per month with a $ 10,000.00 deductable, my wife has a pre-existing condition which is not covered and I pay for that all on my own. I cannot even deduct the premium I pay off of my income tax. I don't whine about it I just do it.

Those of you who are whining about COBRA, my violins are playing. If you are going to switch jobs and move, perhaps you should think about saving up enough money to cover COBRA while you are in transition, if you think you cannot save the money then you should reevaluate your spending habits. makes sense to me.

I am sorry your insurance costs so much. I am not "whining" about COBRA, more like suggesting it isn't the best solution for everyone, I really think there could be a better way. Thats all I am saying. I am maybe being too optimistic?Why does wanting to adjust and change the current system have to mean that you are "whining". Its called being proactive. Getting out and voting and supporting those who legislate for something better. Are you saying tha we should all just accept that while the situation is bad we should just suck it up and take it, better to do that than complain. What do we live in a totalitarian regime or something? Last time I checked we live in America buddy.

[scottlgarrett]

I am sorry your insurance costs so much. I am not "whining" about COBRA, more like suggesting it isn't the best solution for everyone, I really think there could be a better way. Thats all I am saying. I am maybe being too optimistic?Why does wanting to adjust and change the current system have to mean that you are "whining". Its called being proactive. Getting out and voting and supporting those who legislate for something better. Are you saying tha we should all just accept that while the situation is bad we should just suck it up and take it, better to do that than complain. What do we live in a totalitarian regime or something? Last time I checked we live in America buddy.

"And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country".

John F. Kennedy

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe - the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God.

John F. Kennedy

[icyounurse, BSN, RN]

My husband and I were recently in the same position with insurance. Fortunately , we stayed healthy until it kicked in!

But, I do remember making Home Health visits at one job several years ago and having diabetic patients trying to decide between food or prescriptions. Food usually won!

I hope we are as fortunate as you to stay healthy while we are waiting for the insurance to kick in!! We have our fingers crossed:]