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 don't think you're ignorant and self-righteous for disagreeing with me over UHC. You are entitled to your opinion.

I do however think you are taking an ignorant and self-righteous stand when you keep talking about "choices". Just like the example that the poster above listed.

What about the 21 year-old, 4th year college student who can't afford insurance, is diagnosed with osteomyelitis and can't finish his last 6 months of his degree and winds up with a dead end job after he recovers just to keep up with his bills and repaying his medical costs? Did he make bad choices?

What about the young married couple whose birth control fails, wind up with a baby, but arn't priviliged enough to work in jobs that offer insurance. Did they make bad choices?

There are too many more examples to list. But again, it's not about what choices people make. It's a basic human necessity to have decent and affordable health coverage. You seem to think that if people have not made "good" choices in life as I guess you apparently have, then they're not worthy. I think it's a bunch of BS.

You live in Canada, that is all you've known so it doesn't seem like

depending on the gov't. Here in the US that is exactly what it is.

Oh, and this statement is quite the steriotype. I hardly think you speak for all Americans. Let them decide for themselves. I've been apart of many message boards, mostly with Americans and I have NEVER ONCE heard any of them make a statement anywhere along these lines. :twocents:

I haven't always made good choices. I've been the pregnant college student. I've been the divorced mother of 2 young children, with a deadbeat ex. I've made my fair share of wrong decision but I accepted responsibility for those decisions and learned from them. My daughters and I were on TennCare at one time, I got off ASAP. There was a period of about 8 months that my family did not have insurance, I'm very thankful that we only had a few medical bills from that time. That is why I went back to work fulltime, so I could provide health insurance for my family.

I'm not saying that the examples made bad choices, but they did make the choice to not have insurance. Life is about making choices and accepting the consequences of those choices. I don't see healthcare as a constitutional right that the government has to provide. Simple as that.

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Yes, every hospital offers health insurance for their employees and I chose to work for one. I also chose the cheaper program that had more limited benefits, but it was enough for me and my family. Then the hospital chose to take it away from me (and other employees) and force us to take the more expensive program. I now pay over $400 a month for insurance that I hesitate to use (even when my family needs it) because I have a deductible of $500 per person and a 20% co-insurance. After paying the premium, taxes, food, utilities ect... I don't have that extra cash in my bank account on my medical assistant's salary.

Speaking of education, that benefit was reduced by the hospital as well due to the economy. Scholarships and grants aren't as easy to get either (I've been trying). I choose to stay at my job despite this because I have a family to support and need to pay the bills... but it would be nice to not worry about going into more debt just because one of us gets sick while I'm choosing to work, pay for health insurance, and go to school to better myself. I'd even be willing to pay $400 a month for that piece of mind.

I know this is off-topic but it needs to be said. Everyone can and should try to make good choices, but things don't always turn out right. Some of us are luckier than others. I have always been one of those people that has to work twice as hard for everything and whose "good" choices frequently end up going wrong (20/20 hindsight). Right now I choose to take it one day at a time. That being said, there are many out there for whom the choice would be pay the premium or pay the groceries... work at a job with bad or no insurance or don't work at all... pay for college tuition or pay the rent... I myself will have to take a semester off to let my bank account recover from unexpected expenses this year.

Sorry I'm so long-winded, but this subject hits too close to home.

I understand that it hits close to home. I have my own issues with my company's insurance. As I said in my previous post, I work for my family's insurance because my DH's insurance would be well over $500 a month for less than decent coverage. They are making changes to our insurance AND froze wages so no raises this year. We will make changes to our budget to accommodate these changes.

I look at it from a different POV. I don't think it's up to the gov't to provide healthcare. You know...if they weren't taking a nice chunk of money out of your paycheck every week, you could more easily afford healthcare.

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I don't think anyone is advocating government-supplied healthcare; just that maybe government-sponsored insurance schemes could be opened up to wider participation.

That's the point of insurance, right? Bigger pool of participants spreads the risk. Anyone who cares to keep private insurance is welcome to do so, but it'd be nice to have a low-cost, basic public option.

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Specializes in ER,ICU,L+D,OR.

Insurance and health coverage should be available to all. This the richest nation in the world. why would we deny health coverage to so many millions of people. This is reprehensible of us as a nation. if it did require a cut in pay, wouldn't we all as care givers, care enough to give with compassion and love in our hearts.

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

Hmm, I think someone sounds angry about the current political situation regarding Obama, If we want to talk danger lets talk about Palin with no experience possibly running the country with no foreign policy at all. She could just put and end to all and to us then we wouldnt need to discuss health care. I know we cannot keep policitics and money out of this conversation but we cannot ignore the health care coverage problem facing the nation.

Some people work very hard all there lives and something catastrophic will happen and they dont have any health care coverage. They can be the plummer, the person who does gardening, a perdiem teacher or yes even a perdiem nurse. How can you let some of these wonderful people not have coverage? Obama has nothing to do with it . This is the state of the citizens of our country. We need to discuss a proper solution to this problem. Sure I am tired of high taxes but as a nurse it is very hard to see these people who need health care have no coverage and sometimes not care. :nurse:

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Specializes in Psych, CVICU, SICU, MICU, PICU.

I was on the phone today with someone from CNA/NNOC, and we chatted a bit about the Health Care Reform Bill that is currently in legislature, and suggested this site for a 'must read'. http://www.guaranteedhealthcare.org/ I know we are talking about cuts in pay, but there are people who have a lot more than just a cut in pay at stake. CNA/NNOC put major input into this bill being introduced.

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Specializes in Intensive Care Nursi.

Fewer employer groups will make for lack of increase in pay and benefits. It will also decrease the choices that RNs have for jobs.

It will also lend itself easily to black balling. (being unable to being hired because all employers will know your background).

RNs need to seriously look at NNOC.org the National Nurses Organizing Committee for information on how to develop ourselves and our profession whether there is universal health care socialized medicine or one payer.

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And Obama's experience and foreign policy experience would be???

Sorry, but taking a highschool trip to Europe doesn't cut it for foreign policy.

Hmm, I think someone sounds angry about the current political situation regarding Obama, If we want to talk danger lets talk about Palin with no experience possibly running the country with no foreign policy at all. She could just put and end to all and to us then we wouldnt need to discuss health care. I know we cannot keep policitics and money out of this conversation but we cannot ignore the health care coverage problem facing the nation.

Some people work very hard all there lives and something catastrophic will happen and they dont have any health care coverage. They can be the plummer, the person who does gardening, a perdiem teacher or yes even a perdiem nurse. How can you let some of these wonderful people not have coverage? Obama has nothing to do with it . This is the state of the citizens of our country. We need to discuss a proper solution to this problem. Sure I am tired of high taxes but as a nurse it is very hard to see these people who need health care have no coverage and sometimes not care. :nurse:

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And Obama's experience and foreign policy experience would be???

I believe Biden has MORE foreign policy experience than McCain so what's your argument again???

Getting shot down in Vietnam and then ratting out your buddies doesn't count either... ;)

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Specializes in Psych, CVICU, SICU, MICU, PICU.

The problem with insurance is that many people cannot afford the high co-pay, and the insurance companies may deny benefits you are entitled to. They are out to make money, as corporate hospitals are out to make money on their stock and shares. Healthcare should not be for profit.. period! From what I understand, the plan being presented is for the government to pay.. for people to have access to preventative healthcare. Some people are unable to afford immunizations for their children, some cannot afford life-sustaining meds.. these are the 'frequent flyers' most of us encounter. We, as nurses, need to help fix the system for all, instead of sitting in judgement of the person who was not immunized.. or the frequent flyer patient that is back for the 10th time. Many of you say you have good insurance.. lots of other people have thought the same.. until a serious illness or accident hits. When a person is sick, it is harder to fight for their rights.. and yet, many of us, as Americans, watch these people lose their homes, their life savings, in attempt to save a family member.. and say.. 'This does not concern me.. It's your problem.' Until we realize it is all of our problems, it will continue to happen. The previous post I gave a link.. the very first thing you will read is 'The Health Insurance Casualty of the Day'.. There are loads more in the archives.

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Yeah, but Biden already has shady dealing with is lobbyist sons as well as his blatant Plagerism of others. Nice try though but the question was about Obama not Biden. Being a community organizer like Sharpton or Jackon doesn't qualify for much of anything other than self service. I suppode he is counting his life in Hawaii as foreign experience.

I believe Biden has MORE foreign policy experience than McCain so what's your argument again???

Getting shot down in Vietnam and then ratting out your buddies doesn't count either... ;)

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Should companies that make CT scanners be out for profit? How about companies that make ambulances? Companies that make IV catheters? Should companies that make ventilators be out for profit? Should nurses make any sort of profit? What about companies that make diapers and baby formula should they be allowed to make a profit?

The problem with insurance is that many people cannot afford the high co-pay, and the insurance companies may deny benefits you are entitled to. They are out to make money, as corporate hospitals are out to make money on their stock and shares. Healthcare should not be for profit.. period! From what I understand, the plan being presented is for the government to pay.. for people to have access to preventative healthcare. Some people are unable to afford immunizations for their children, some cannot afford life-sustaining meds.. these are the 'frequent flyers' most of us encounter. We, as nurses, need to help fix the system for all, instead of sitting in judgement of the person who was not immunized.. or the frequent flyer patient that is back for the 10th time. Many of you say you have good insurance.. lots of other people have thought the same.. until a serious illness or accident hits. When a person is sick, it is harder to fight for their rights.. and yet, many of us, as Americans, watch these people lose their homes, their life savings, in attempt to save a family member.. and say.. 'This does not concern me.. It's your problem.' Until we realize it is all of our problems, it will continue to happen. The previous post I gave a link.. the very first thing you will read is 'The Health Insurance Casualty of the Day'.. There are loads more in the archives.
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