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

newgradrn2 · Aug 20, 2009

Wow. Then maybe they shouldn't have gotten pregnant. Guess what life ain't fair and life ain't easy. Stack an unwed mother with a baby or two and it just gets tougher. We have the wealthiest poor in the world in this country. They never seem to lack access when I worked in the ER they would just call an ambulance to take them where ever they needed to go. Heck unlike a taxi you don't have to pay for the ambulance.

I have to disagree. I have two friends who are employed, dad is a truck driver the mom is a hair dresser. They have two girls three and six. There six year old daughter ahs charge syndrome. They have insurance. It is not enough. The little girl is on her 4th pacemaker, has one kidney, she is profoundly deaf and legally blind. She has autistic behaviors. They love their daughters as much as anyone can. They are getting a divorce so that mom can get public aide. They will never crawl out from under the debt they have already. I think you need to walk in someone's shoes before you make generaliztions.

Wishinonastar, BSN · Aug 20, 2009

I am fine now, thank God it was an endocrine problem and not the tumor they suspected, but it opened my eyes to the plight of the uninured. Thanks for asking.

newgradrn2 · Aug 21, 2009

I am fine now, thank God it was an endocrine problem and not the tumor they suspected, but it opened my eyes to the plight of the uninured. Thanks for asking.

I am sorry that I did not ask I replied to noly one person. I am really glad you are OK. It is scary.

CRNA2007 · Aug 21, 2009

Why don't they try bankruptcy to get out of the mountain of debt. That's what it is there for.

I have to disagree. I have two friends who are employed, dad is a truck driver the mom is a hair dresser. They have two girls three and six. There six year old daughter ahs charge syndrome. They have insurance. It is not enough. The little girl is on her 4th pacemaker, has one kidney, she is profoundly deaf and legally blind. She has autistic behaviors. They love their daughters as much as anyone can. They are getting a divorce so that mom can get public aide. They will never crawl out from under the debt they have already. I think you need to walk in someone's shoes before you make generaliztions.

newgradrn2 · Aug 21, 2009

They are about to. But she still needs additional care. My point is there are a lot of hardworking people who don't play the system and will slip through the cracks. Try reading a book called Healing in America by TR Reid. It examines healthcare from a number of perspectives it was released yesterday. I was lucky enough to read an advace copy.

GCTMT · Aug 21, 2009

Why don't they try bankruptcy to get out of the mountain of debt. That's what it is there for.

Bankruptcy is quite expensive. Considering the little girl will have to get more treatment, will it actually make a difference? So, the parents file bankruptcy, then their girl gets sick and they have to take her back to the hospital and they rack up more debt. Kinda negates the "American Dream", doesn't it?

CRNA2007 · Aug 21, 2009

Bankruptcy is not that expensive. They would not rack up more debt since the OP stated they were divorcing to get her on public assistance. So racking up more debt would be a non issue.

Bankruptcy is quite expensive. Considering the little girl will have to get more treatment, will it actually make a difference? So, the parents file bankruptcy, then their girl gets sick and they have to take her back to the hospital and they rack up more debt. Kinda negates the "American Dream", doesn't it?

Wishinonastar, BSN · Aug 22, 2009

Bankruptcy is not the catchall it once was. It has been abused too much. I hate to say it, but from what I have seen in my 20+ years of home health care I would probably go with divorce and public assistance. Kids with these type of major disorders have ongoing needs and only MA is going to be there. Even though they are strict with pre-authorizations and limited providers and lots of hoops to jump through, they are not like private insurance companies which usually have strict limits and caps. My husband's insurance is an 80% coverage with a huge deductible. If I had to pay 20% of everything for major surgeries and follow up care, plus DME and everything I would lose my home, my credit, I could not do it. We would be on the street.

GCTMT · Aug 22, 2009

Bankruptcy is not that expensive. They would not rack up more debt since the OP stated they were divorcing to get her on public assistance. So racking up more debt would be a non issue.

It's about $1100 or more. It's expensive if you don't have money to pay your bills.

forrester · Aug 22, 2009

Is this what we are here for??? To protect our salaries?

As nurses, we have failed to live up to our responsibility to protect our patients. We have been sold out by our nursing "leadership", who are more concerned with protecting the hospital industry and their perception of some kind of executive and elitist status.

We have been sold out by a for profit healthcare system which continues to make exorbitant profits off of our labor.

We have been sold out by the ANA, which, for all its rhetoric, has failed to work to empower nurses to live up to our ethical obligations as outlined in the ANA Code of Ethics.

The arguments for personal responsibility might make a little sense if we had a level playing field, which we do not.

The hospital industry would replace us at the bedside in a heartbeat if they could, and they continue to try their best to work towards that end. Is that what you went into nursing for? To stand around with a clipboard while unliscensed people carried out the "menial" tasks of direct patient care.

I went into healthcare 35 years ago to take care of patients, period. I can't do my job when I have 8, 9, 10 or more patients assigned to me.

So what can WE, as nurses, do about all this? Take back our profession and become the true patient advocates we were intended to be.

The revolution in California has given us a glimmer of hope to do this. And no, I do not practice in California, nor do I work for them. But I have been following this and see the potential.

Join the National Nurse Organizing Committee today! It costs $30 PER YEAR to do this, and will help them, and us, to finally begin to protect ourselves, and more importantly, our patients. We can not possibly hope to take on the industry without organizing ourselves into a coherent political and social force.

The CNA has managed to pass staffing legislation.

Salaries have gone up dramatically.

They have the best labor contracts in the nation, including things like retirement benefits.

$30 per year seems like an awfully small amount to begin this process.

Talk to your colleagues and get them to join.

CNA/NNOC is the ONLY nursing organization growing in both numbers and political strength.

It's time for us, as professional nurses, to actualize ourselves.

We can't do it as individuals, but together, we can move mountains. There are 2.7 million of us.

Let's marginalize these traitors in the AONE. Let's bring the ANA back to what it is supposed to be or get rid of them too.

Try it, you might like what happens.

CRNA2007 · Aug 22, 2009

In one breath you manage to deamonize nurses for wanting to protect their salaries and in the next claiming how great it is that the CNA has increased nursing salaries. Why is everything management or corporate a conspiracy theory with a lot of nurses on this board? The "out to get me" paranoia on the board is amazing.

Is this what we are here for??? To protect our salaries?
As nurses, we have failed to live up to our responsibility to protect our patients. We have been sold out by our nursing "leadership", who are more concerned with protecting the hospital industry and their perception of some kind of executive and elitist status.
We have been sold out by a for profit healthcare system which continues to make exorbitant profits off of our labor.
We have been sold out by the ANA, which, for all its rhetoric, has failed to work to empower nurses to live up to our ethical obligations as outlined in the ANA Code of Ethics.
The arguments for personal responsibility might make a little sense if we had a level playing field, which we do not.
The hospital industry would replace us at the bedside in a heartbeat if they could, and they continue to try their best to work towards that end. Is that what you went into nursing for? To stand around with a clipboard while unliscensed people carried out the "menial" tasks of direct patient care.
I went into healthcare 35 years ago to take care of patients, period. I can't do my job when I have 8, 9, 10 or more patients assigned to me.
So what can WE, as nurses, do about all this? Take back our profession and become the true patient advocates we were intended to be.
The revolution in California has given us a glimmer of hope to do this. And no, I do not practice in California, nor do I work for them. But I have been following this and see the potential.
Join the National Nurse Organizing Committee today! It costs $30 PER YEAR to do this, and will help them, and us, to finally begin to protect ourselves, and more importantly, our patients. We can not possibly hope to take on the industry without organizing ourselves into a coherent political and social force.
The CNA has managed to pass staffing legislation.
Salaries have gone up dramatically.
They have the best labor contracts in the nation, including things like retirement benefits.
$30 per year seems like an awfully small amount to begin this process.
Talk to your colleagues and get them to join.
CNA/NNOC is the ONLY nursing organization growing in both numbers and political strength.
It's time for us, as professional nurses, to actualize ourselves.
We can't do it as individuals, but together, we can move mountains. There are 2.7 million of us.
Let's marginalize these traitors in the AONE. Let's bring the ANA back to what it is supposed to be or get rid of them too.
Try it, you might like what happens.

Babyheart, BSN · Aug 23, 2009

It's about $1100 or more. It's expensive if you don't have money to pay your bills.

MY son was born with HLHS. Our insurance company terminated his coverage following his first surgery. It was recommended we get divorced so that I could have him covered by Medicaid.

We did not get divorced and it has been tough for us as we would not 'play the system' as many people do. It is terrible that people are forced into situations that they never imagined they would be in. Over the past 2 years we have been burdened with a massive amount of debt. We need to consider bankruptcy now. But sadly our son will need a heart transplant in the future, and that will be expensive. I am not only talking about the medical cost, but also the food, gas, room to stay, etc, and not to mention the fact that one or both parents may have to take unpaid time off work.

It is not as simple as CRNA2007 seems to think it is.