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

Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.
You are right, people do make bad decisions but then they are rewarded for them. Maybe if there were consequences to their actions then people might think before they make the decisions that they do. The idea is that people would stop making those decisions because they know that they will be responsible instead of the government. The children that are affected would be dealt with as needed.

I really just dont think its that simple. And I dont think living in poverty is very rewarding. Thats such an elitist stance, the idea that the poor are "living it up" and "rich off the government"

Its pretty ridiculous when you see how these people actually live.

Of course there are some that take advantage, but not everyone fits that mold. And its not fair to judge people when you dont know their situation with sweeping generalizations.

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You can't have it both ways. You can't decry the system as broken or people uncaring and then list a littany of resources your parents were able to utilize when you were growing up.

You just list off a ton of safety nets in this country which proves my point that there are so many resources already available to people in this country.

Show me where I say those born into poverty don't deserve a chance? I seek to end the cycle of dependency that breeds poverty and crime in this country. It's called tough love.

I was actually born to young parents below the poverty line with no health insurance and food stamps and all that jazz. I am so grateful that I live in a country where my single mother was able to utilize public resources and rise out of poverty and encourage me to go to college. I am so glad that I was able to get basic healthcare through medicaid and get food from food stamps when my mother could only afford to feed us and not herself,while she went back to school and worked her way through at taco bell and weighed like 90 lbs so we could be fed.

I really think that your perpetration that all born into poverty dont deserve a chance is pretty disturbing. I am glad that you were not in charge when I was growing up or who knows where I would have ended up.

I certainly hope your personal issues with the poor dont affect your practice and that you still treat your patients with respect regardless of their background.

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How are they going to starve with WIC and food stamps? And people that are that poor certainly qualify for medicaid. Once again the wealthiest poor in the world in this country. How about not buying alcohol and cigarettes when you have a hungry baby at home? How about getting a job and actually supporting one's child instead of making the kids mother bear the full burden of raising them. Hope and change ain't going to pay the bills, but personal responsibility will.

WOW!! After reading many of the posts in this thread, it is clear that some of you have been truely blessed whereas you don't have any insight into the level of poverty that exists in this country. As a former social worker and a former classroom teacher, I have to say, this situation is significantly more complicated that some may think. I can reassure you that it's bigger than buying alcohol and cigarettes. Also, the aid from the states isn't as easy to obtain as you may think. As a social worker, I encountered parents whose children had been removed from their homes by the state. Their only crime was poverty. They simply could not provide housing because they lost their jobs. As an agent of the state, I encountered h*ll trying to help families receive assistance from the state. It's just not a easy as you think.

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Specializes in Med-Tele, Internal Med PCU.
How are they going to starve with WIC and food stamps? And people that are that poor certainly qualify for medicaid. Once again the wealthiest poor in the world in this country. How about not buying alcohol and cigarettes when you have a hungry baby at home? How about getting a job and actually supporting one's child instead of making the kids mother bear the full burden of raising them. Hope and change ain't going to pay the bills, but personal responsibility will.

What about the working poor, you know earn too much to qualify for aid but not enough to be able to afford insurance? Scenerio: 30 yo single woman bartender gets pregnant, no employer sponsored insurance, certainly no private insurance. Would she qualify for WIC and gov't help? I know she wouldn't qualify for foodstamps.

My interpretation of many of the proposed HC changes has more to do with government subsidization of coverage for the uninsured and underinsured. It may have an effect on pay scales, but it will be minimized because there will be fewer uninsured pts coming through the door meaning profits will rise.

I will not argue that abuses don't and won't happen, but the system is broke and something has to change. Making routine care available, in theory, will reduce the cases of manifested minor ailments entering the ED(s) and hospital(s) which would be a great start.

I've long felt that once a person has acheived certain milestones witholding treatment should be considered, if the pt can privately afford continued treatment fine, if not palative measures should be incorporated. You smoked for 27 years, "no lung transplant for you." You tried to drink yourself to death, "sorry, we're fresh out of livers."

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Are you not making generalizations by saying someone has an elitist stance? You are making generalization you don't know any of our backgrounds. Many people on here that appear to you to be hearltess and cruel might have been born into poverty or have been homeless. Becuase people are tired of the endless cycles of governemnt dependence and out of wed lock births does not make the heartless, cruel or an elitist.

I really just dont think its that simple. And I dont think living in poverty is very rewarding. Thats such an elitist stance, the idea that the poor are "living it up" and "rich off the government"

Its pretty ridiculous when you see how these people actually live.

Of course there are some that take advantage, but not everyone fits that mold. And its not fair to judge people when you dont know their situation with sweeping generalizations.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Again the getting pregnant is a personal choice. could have gotten free birth control from any number of sources. Yes the baby would qualify for WIC and the SCHIP program and she could go after the father for child support with the states help garnishing his wages. I simply do not accept the premise that the system is broke. I believe it is a left wing agenda that get's all sexed up by the left wing media. People already utilize the ERs for routine care and this would increase exponentially under UHC.

What about the working poor, you know earn too much to qualify for aid but not enough to be able to afford insurance? Scenerio: 30 yo single woman bartender gets pregnant, no employer sponsored insurance, certainly no private insurance. Would she qualify for WIC and gov't help? I know she wouldn't qualify for foodstamps.

My interpretation of many of the proposed HC changes has more to do with government subsidization of coverage for the uninsured and underinsured. It may have an effect on pay scales, but it will be minimized because there will be fewer uninsured pts coming through the door meaning profits will rise.

I will not argue that abuses don't and won't happen, but the system is broke and something has to change. Making routine care available, in theory, will reduce the cases of manifested minor ailments entering the ED(s) and hospital(s) which would be a great start.

I've long felt that once a person has acheived certain milestones witholding treatment should be considered, if the pt can privately afford continued treatment fine, if not palative measures should be incorporated. You smoked for 27 years, "no lung transplant for you." You tried to drink yourself to death, "sorry, we're fresh out of livers."

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.
You can't have it both ways. You can't decry the system as broken or people uncaring and then list a littany of resources your parents were able to utilize when you were growing up.

You just list off a ton of safety nets in this country which proves my point that there are so many resources already available to people in this country.

Show me where I say those born into poverty don't deserve a chance? I seek to end the cycle of dependency that breeds poverty and crime in this country. It's called tough love.

The system could use some improvement. To say that our current system is beyond reproach is absolutely ridiculous. I am not "decrying the system as broken" (is that a word?), but health care is constantly changing. Change can be a good thing.

And as for the personal attack on my mom using "safety nets" to pull us out of poverty I can only say its a pretty low blow.

My mom is currently a respiratory therapist and I am an RN. We have certainly paid back in the little that was taken out. I am surprised you would refer to medicaid and food stamps as "a ton of safety nets". That looks like 2 to me, not a ton.

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Again the getting pregnant is a personal choice. could have gotten free birth control from any number of sources. Yes the baby would qualify for WIC and the SCHIP program and she could go after the father for child support with the states help garnishing his wages. I simply do not accept the premise that the system is broke. I believe it is a left wing agenda that get's all sexed up by the left wing media. People already utilize the ERs for routine care and this would increase exponentially under UHC.

Yup, it's all a big conspiracy to get YOUR money...

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Specializes in ER, Med/Surg.

Glad things turned out well for you.

I was actually born to young parents below the poverty line with no health insurance and food stamps and all that jazz. I am so grateful that I live in a country where my single mother was able to utilize public resources and rise out of poverty and encourage me to go to college. I am so glad that I was able to get basic healthcare through medicaid and get food from food stamps when my mother could only afford to feed us and not herself,while she went back to school and worked her way through at taco bell and weighed like 90 lbs so we could be fed.

I really think that your perpetration that all born into poverty dont deserve a chance is pretty disturbing. I am glad that you were not in charge when I was growing up or who knows where I would have ended up.

I certainly hope your personal issues with the poor dont affect your practice and that you still treat your patients with respect regardless of their background.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.
Are you not making generalizations by saying someone has an elitist stance? You are making generalization you don't know any of our backgrounds. Many people on here that appear to you to be hearltess and cruel might have been born into poverty or have been homeless. Becuase people are tired of the endless cycles of governemnt dependence and out of wed lock births does not make the heartless, cruel or an elitist.

Were you born into poverty or homeless??

I would be pretty surprised.

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care/Neonatal ICU.
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I've long felt that once a person has acheived certain milestones witholding treatment should be considered, if the pt can privately afford continued treatment fine, if not palative measures should be incorporated. You smoked for 27 years, "no lung transplant for you." You tried to drink yourself to death, "sorry, we're fresh out of livers."

So would this punishment also apply to people who felt they were healthy and didn't get annual physicals only to find out during a massive heart attack that they had high blood pressure and high cholesterol? Would you say "no CABG for you"?

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Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.
Becuase people are tired of the endless cycles of governemnt dependence and out of wed lock births does not make the heartless, cruel or an elitist.

Out of wed lock births???? You are a comic! :eek:

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