will universal healthcare ( in the usa) cut RN pay?

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I been hearing this debate off and on for a long time about how if Obama gets universal healthcare to go ( if he gets elected of course)though in the US that nursing pay will be cut dramatically. I would think this has to do with the fact that we would all be working for the government and that there will no longer be competition. There are many people in my nursing class that said they will leave nursing if thats the case. I also talked to several doctors that said the same thing about medicine in general. Im just curious if anyone has some good info about this. Thanks

I agree with the statement that those who don't wish to change will eventually die. If we don't change the course that this country has been put on by the socialist-liberals then we soon will be living in the "Former USA". Socialism, eventually, fails everywhere.

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It is not just lack of preventive health care, it is also unwillingness to change behavior. My patient last night has EF of 25, eating peanut butter nabs (two packages) and two bags of hershey candy! Then complains MD not giving enough diuretic! did manage to acknowledge that he had ARF. So, the health care issue, it's all of us together that got where we are.

Universal health care in countries outside the US does rationing, there are waiting lines for elective surgery, and physicians and nurses do not make the same compensation. That doesn't mean it isn't better for society as whole. England has a very brisk private health care system including private pay hospitals. The Feds are more afraid of the deficits in Medicaid and Medicare than they are of Social Security. They have to cut any place that they can, they don't have a choice if they are going to pay for it. If people leave medicine or nursing for this, than maybe it is the wrong choice for them.

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Nevermind...

Just realized what thread this is... Off Topic Oops :(

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If the jobs are so great why are there any openings at all?

I also wanted to add that I have seen government nursing positions offered in my area. The pay seemed pretty darn decent. Anybody work for local govenment who might offer an example?
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Specializes in Future ICU nurse.
I am sorry but I have to point out that it is VERY basic screening and such that is offered......I have friend that utilize such services and they are nothing to write home about. There is no specialty care provided, so if they find anything abnormal they arent really going to provide you care for it anyway.

That clinic might not but there are other places that will. I will give you an example. My friends son had a peridontal disease and no $ to fix his teeth. She went out and searched and found out that the Masonic lodge donated $ for kids medical needs. So the Masons paid for her kids teeth to be fixed. There is help out there you just have to get off your lazy butt and find it. I had my son when i was 16 and I will soon graduate from college. Just because your poor does'nt mean you can't better yourself. I did.

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Specializes in Future ICU nurse.

I cannot believe people want the government in charge of healthcare. Lets look at how well the government takes care of stuff. #1- Social security, #2- The VA health care, #3-Public Schools, #4-Indian reservations. Yeah, let me sign up for that.

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i heard that from a few dr's this weekend about that we will get pay cuts if we have universal health care... i'm not sure... one of the docs told me ( now i'm not sure if he's right) that the nurses and docs in the UK don't get paid as well because they have universal health care .. that the it's the competation between the health insurances that keep the wages and prices up and therefore we get good pay.

i'm not sure of all this and i'm not sure how universal health care will work for us... i'm sure we'll get some good insight... i'm interested to hear..

Iam a R N in England and our pay is Crap compare to the US we have pay award that is set by the Goverment and it has to be below inflation, so that ios why English Nurses come to the US:cool:

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Specializes in ER, Surgery.
Iam a R N in England and our pay is Crap compare to the US we have pay award that is set by the Goverment and it has to be below inflation, so that ios why English Nurses come to the US:cool:

What you do have to bear in mind is that you get an excellent pension, guarenteed payrises within your payband til you reach the top of that band, it is very difficult to be sacked, and you have excellent sickness and 6 weeks paid holiday every year.

I don't think you can compare the 2 systems equally it is like comparing apples to oranges. Having read many of the threads here I don't think nurses in the US have much better a deal than UK nurses

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Specializes in OR.

I an effort to clarify this issues, nurses should unite and find out from the candidates just what they are truly trying to acheive with their reform to healthcare. A group email or letter to the candidates from a group of nurses (perhaps through this website so all can see the answers) would show unity and express our concerns. Rather that reacting to what is being rumored, being active.

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What ever happened to the compasion of nursing . The facts are that this nation is no longer the new world but is becoming the old world , like Europe in the sese of population and census , Dear nurses, its a four generational situ the war babies,the boomers the xers, he now y generation.We must be innovative,creative to provide these generations with the care that all americans need and deserve.We must look outside of our selfishness and look toward the whole.chronic illness is a problem the go to washington and tell your goverment to stop feeding your children junk food,fast food ,fried food, Be proactive rather than reactive with out any action that is my opinion .

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The government doesn't feed my children...

Maybe not but it does feed many hungry children, day in and day out. We are our brothers keeper and we will all pay one way or another. I wish that all people and all americans were upstanding, hardworking citizens that always caught the break but many are not. For me to fail to acknowledge that many hard working people are doing their best and still failing and then chose to do nothing to help them is unamerican in the America that I want to live. I hope that you are fortunate enough to never need any help. But you know what I would vote to help you anyway.

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Specializes in ICU, Trauma, ER, Peds, Family Practice.

I am a supporter of universal health care. The AMA is not and so are many other physicans and health care professionals. I have worked with the underserved for the past 40 years of my career . I was trained in the ghetto of the south side of Chicago. Our administration told us never to turn anyone away. I have carried that philosophy with me through my career. Health care is a right just not a privelege. In my life I have had scarey times in which I did not have any coverage. Health care workers will not make less money but there may be cost cutting with universal heath care just as there is now.When we speak of coverage there are different levels of coverage as most of now when we read our health care benefits handbook. What I am thinking is that everyone may have coverage but it may differ. The deductile may be higher and certain procedures or medications may not be covered as it is now. I have worked Utilization Review and discharge planning and right now we are working for the insurance companies and at the same time trying to be a strong patient advocate. Many times we have had to negotiate additional days of stay in the hosipital when the patient did not fit Interqual Criteria. So to make a blanket statement that we will have less pay is erroneous. The CEO's of the insurance companies may make less. The hosptials' rembursement may be different with Universal Health Care . Our current system is ill and it mirrors the ills of society if you have worked behind the scences and see where the money does or does not come from. I worked my way from 3.05 per hour in the late 60's to my current rate. It took a long time to earn the money to finanally keep up with the economy. Before the rumours go flying about cutting nurses salaries please do some research and share with us what you find. Nurses have a strong voice in medicine and in the political arena so we need to be unified in order for things to change properly. People listen to us so we need to be an educated strong voice in the face of change. That is one thing we can always be sure of is change. If you are in nursing long enough you can write a history book of changes in medicine. No cuts in salary but what I did read in my current issue nursing review is they want to start basing nursing salaries on patient outcomes. That to me is scarey. :nurse: It can also be very political and baised.

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