how will health care reform impact the nursing job market?

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I am just curious to everyone's thoughts about the subject -- do you think job opportunities will open up once the major phases of health care reform roll out in 2014? Do you think it will be like in the past where nurses have more freedom to switch specialties and new grads can find jobs easily?

The only thing this reform is good for is increasing the insurance companies pockets...now that everyone has to buy health insurance or pay a penalty. It really changes nothing except that the government is attempting to get people off of their programs and onto the private sector. Its' all about budgeting.

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Specializes in FNP.

I can't discuss HC w/ people who think there is anyone who is not entitled to care by the very fact that they breathe, so I'm not getting into that. No, I don't think HCR as it is presently drafted is going to improve the job market for RNs. I think the market for techs will improve, I think the market for midlevel providers will improve, I think the market for bedside RNS will actually get worse. There are going to be fewer inpatient beds with higher ratios and more delegated care.

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For crying out loud, health care is not FREE. Ever. The nurse still needs to get paid. The doctor still needs to get paid. The phlebotomist still needs to get paid.

Just because the patient does not pay DOES NOT MEAN IT IS FREE.

The money HAS to come from somewhere. Honest. It just doesn't appear. Where do you think it will come from, if not from the patient?

The health care system is broken. No one is arguing that it is not. The problem is that there is mismanagement of money all over the place.

Here's a question for every nurse who reads this: would you mind donating a couple of days per week, without pay, to see patients? Of course not. But if suddenly everyone was able to go to the doctor, where is the money to pay the nurses?

Also, think about this: why would you pay the nurses so much, when you can get any schmoe off the street who can do the same thing nurses used to do, only for much, much less?

Personally, I would like to see the insurance companies get a big slap down, because they are the ones screwing both the patient and the reimbursement the providers (nurses) get.

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Specializes in FNP.

I'm not sure if you are talking to me. I would prefer socialized medicine, such as in France.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

But if suddenly everyone was able to go to the doctor, where is the money to pay the nurses?

People will be able to go to the doctor because they will be carrying insurance! The money to pay nurses will come from the same place it always has. Again, this isn't about FREE health care... but requiring everyone to carry insurance will put more money into the system, not take it out of the system.

Also- this reform focuses on preventive care, which in the long run, will free up a LOT more money in health care.

People in this country should have access to affordable health care. IMO, it is elitist to think otherwise.

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Personally, I would like to see the insurance companies get a big slap down, because they are the ones screwing both the patient and the reimbursement the providers (nurses) get.

Now, this is interesting to me when people say this. I work for a major health insurance company (has a primary color 2x in the name ;)) full-time while taking my pre-nursing courses. I've worked there about 5 years, enough time to see how the beast works from the inside. Making health insurance companies "pony up" is not going to work -- the cost is just passed on to the folks that hold private and group insurance policies with them.

Let's take for instance, Medicaid. I work on the provider reimbursement side of the aforementioned company. I've worked many of these claims before, as the company administers some of these Medicaid plans in other states. A doctor's visit typically pays about $7-$11 a visit under a Medicaid type plan (A normal "PPO" or something paying at the usual and customary rate would reimburse roughly $80-$100). Under Medicaid, labs are done for pennies. Pennies! I mean seriously, I don't know why any physicians would want to accept these patients - they ARE practically doing it for free! Now, what if we give millions more people in the country policies that reimburse this god awful amount, how are the physicians and all medical personel going to be reimbursed for their time appropriately? Thats right, they will need to turn to the private sector and demand higher reimbursements. This, plus forcing the insurance companies to never deny anyone for pre-ex, put a cap on out of pocket spending, forbid them to raise premiums of the sick -- what happens then? Private insurance becomes virtually unaffordable.

The heath care reform stages have just started, and already (as a ******* employee THERE!) my deductible went from $500 to $2000, my copays increased, my premiums increased. This is ONLY the beginning. Now, everything I said before is just my humble opinion - and like others have said, we just have to wait and see.

So, this all being said, I do expect the need for healthcare workers to increase, but I'm not sure how the bill is going to get paid :eek:

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Personally, I would like to see the insurance companies get a big slap down, because they are the ones screwing both the patient and the reimbursement the providers (nurses) get.

Now, this is interesting to me when people say this. I work for a major health insurance company (has a primary color 2x in the name ;)) full-time while taking my pre-nursing courses. I've worked there about 5 years, enough time to see how the beast works from the inside. Making health insurance companies "pony up" is not going to work -- the cost is just passed on to the folks that hold private and group insurance policies with them.

Let's take for instance, Medicaid. I work on the provider reimbursement side of the aforementioned company. I've worked many of these claims before, as the company administers some of these Medicaid plans in other states (when I say "administer", the state or federal gov't tells the insurance company how much to pay for each service, it is NOT up to the company). A doctor's visit typically pays about $7-$11 a visit under a Medicaid type plan (A normal "PPO" or something paying at the usual and customary rate would reimburse roughly $80-$100). Under Medicaid, labs are done for pennies. Pennies! I mean seriously, I don't know why any physicians would want to accept these patients - they ARE practically doing it for free! Now, what if we give millions more people in the country policies that reimburse this god awful amount, how are the physicians and all medical personel going to be reimbursed for their time appropriately? Thats right, they will need to turn to the private sector and demand higher reimbursements. This, plus forcing the insurance companies to never deny anyone for pre-ex, put a cap on out of pocket spending, forbid them to raise premiums of the sick -- what happens then? Private insurance becomes virtually unaffordable.

The heath care reform stages have just started, and already (as a ******* employee THERE!) my deductible went from $500 to $2000, my copays increased, my premiums increased. This is ONLY the beginning. Now, everything I said before is just my humble opinion - and like others have said, we just have to wait and see.

So, this all being said, I do expect the need for healthcare workers to increase, but I'm not sure how the bill is going to get paid :eek:

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oops! sorry for the double post. Dern computer.

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Healthcare is broken; but what was passed is not a fix nor is it a band-aid, it is just BS regulation meant to appease some powerful groups.

I hope for our sake, as bedside RNs, that the bill gets stopped

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Specializes in FNP.

It can't be stopped unless new legislation is passed. There isn't the support necessary for that, and it would be vetoed anyway. Repealing HC reform was just an empty talking point for the midterm election. We should have all insisted it be done right the first time.

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I like to see someone start going after the CEO's and Nursing Exects of these healthcare systems who have not cut any of their over inflated salaries but put nurses out of work in the first place. The CEO's are making millions plus their health insurance, plus health insurance for their families, plus bonuses. The federal government needs to step in here- yes, it should be socialized medicine. Stop the commercializion of health care, stop the corporate healthcare. That's the only model of healthcare that is going on in this country. There is no such thing as"transional care at the bedside" or any other BS crap model. It's fed to us like candy- from someone's demented mind that has nothing to do all day but sit in an office and pick their seat all day, when they should be putting a pair of scrubs on and getting their lazy behind out on these units to see and EXPERIENCE first hand what is really going on. Give them a patient assignment to be responsible for - for 2-4 weeks. These people make sooo much money and are so faaar removed from the reality of all this. Then there are the MBA's who mind was only taught the fluff courses of sales pitches and profit making- what do they know about HEALTH CARE- Chronic disease- diabetes, renal failure, CHF,- NOTHING. So what do they care. Those conditions are only words and letters to them, meaningless words and letters that they nothing about and don't care to know. These exect. are so devoid of ethics and conscious that if someone or alot of someones die- they could care less 1. just as long as it's not them, and 2. just as long as they don't get sued. Nursing and Medical licenses- are something else that's not their problem- It's only the problem of those that hold them. Human life is a commodity- The nursing executives/management have long left their nursing ethics and traded them in for profit. They shouldn't even be allowed to use the initals RN, they shouldn't even be allowed to keep, or renew their licenses.

With the health care reform there will be a major emphasis on primary care. More people will be going back to their primary care physicians. It's going to take alot of educating the american public. The hardes hablit to break will be the misuse of the ED. There is going to have to be and increase in clinic, office hours. People still have to work- so those hours are going to have to expand, not to mention the number of clinics . The President signed a bill last April giving community and public health $122 ?million - that is only a spit in the ocean to the demand when $59.2 million uninsured or underinsured people get access to insurance. Hospital inpatient settings are not going to see any benefit from any of this- it doesn't include them. The whole goal of this reform is to keep people out of the expensive hospitals. Hopefully with this reform, with poeple seeking primary care, it will start to reduce the acutity of the american public through health education and prevention. Surgeries are supposed to be more outpatient as opposed to inpatient. In these infant stages, it would behoe of the powers that be in nursing to make barriers to keep MBA's out so they don't turn this into the profit mongering they made hospitals. If little johnnie cant do cheistry, patho, pharm and medicine and nursing, he/she needs to go to macy's or walmart for a job and stay the heck out of healthcare- their only killing people.

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I think some areas will increase. With the new rule regarding parity of mental health care more people will be able to receive mental health services. With the change regarding preventive care services carrying zero co-pay and zero co-insurance there will be greater redemption of those services. I heard today on the news that there is a renewed interest in Washington about reforming medical liability. That would be fantastic for health care if it went through.

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