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

The Op said the family was homeless. You would rather the children live on the streets instead of in foster care until the parents could get back on their feet? Sounds pretty heartless to me.

CLUELESS!?!?! :banghead:

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And your point is?

A previous post from CRNA2007:

" I can only speak for myself as a recent graduate. I took a rural Iowa position right of school (CRNA only). I am salaried with benefits at 190K per year. I work with another CRNA in a small rural town we split the call a week at a time. We average 44 call backs a year so about one every 9 days or so. I get 6 weeks of vacation which includes 1 week of CME which I am allowed an additional $4000 per year to utilize for my training. My AANA dues are paid for by the hospital and doescome out of my CME money. We rotate the work schedule a week at a time, but must be available throughout the week if needed. When I am on call and the primary CRNA I work about 15-20 hours per week. The next week when I am secondary (but not on call) I am off unless we have a heavy case load or the surgeon wants to swap rooms (which sometimes happens with ortho and ENT) I usually have to work about 10 hours on my week "off" when it is ENT or cataracts or ortho doc has three or 4 cases scheduled. When surgery is done I restock my carts check the schedule and hit the door. most days out by 11 or noon. The OBs seem to run in streaks and I will come in and place an intrathecal or epidural; bolus it hang around do some charting and check on my earlier patients make sure the OB is doing okay and then I am gone. While the other staff has to stay around and "keep busy" every day till 3pm I am at home kicking back watching TV planning the fall hunting trips or a really expensive week long vacation (CME Training). As for retirement I have a 403B plan that I sock away my 15K a year. The hospital also matches 5% of my gross which is another $9500. I do pay about $150/month for my family health insurance. Not sure how it is for other new grads out there but this my current happy situation."

Yeah wow you sound like money is pretty tight. All those horrible welfare moms trying to take your money. I'd be mad too.

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Specializes in CCU & CTICU.
Foster care is better than living on the streets. or in a car. The OP did say the family was homeless.

Shelters exist too. It doesn't mean they're picking at garbage cans. I know someone who was homeless for a while and went into a shelter with her kids. Oh, and she has a decent job and healthcare now.

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Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.
And your point is?

Just that I am so sorry for the horrible poverty you are enduring :crying2:

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Get them into the workforce so they can take advantage of the free market and provide for themselves.

So then, aside from not providing them with universal healthcare, your plan is to........???
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Again you have no clue about my circumstances growing up.

Just that I am so sorry for the horrible poverty you are enduring :crying2:
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Shelters certainly would be a viable alternative, but a foster home might be able to provide a litle more stability for the children until the parents were able to care for them. Not sure how long term a shelter would be available to a family.

Shelters exist too. It doesn't mean they're picking at garbage cans. I know someone who was homeless for a while and went into a shelter with her kids. Oh, and she has a decent job and healthcare now.
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Specializes in MICU, SICU, PACU, Travel nursing.
Get them into the workforce so they can take advantage of the free market and provide for themselves.

They dont exactly have the skills and life situations to go to CRNA school oftentimes.

Many go to work fast food or other minimum wage jobs with no health insurance and have child care issues because you cannot live off that kind of paycheck.

Plenty of them are drowning in the free market.

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This discussion is a great illustration of the dwindling middle class. The rich are getting richer. The poor are getting poorer. The division between the two is getting greater. We all will never see eye-to-eye due to our different life experiences, differences in our upbringing, and definantly the differences in our tax brackets.

But we can agree to disagree without being disagreeable!

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Specializes in Adult Critical Care/Neonatal ICU.
A previous post from CRNA2007:

" I can only speak for myself as a recent graduate. I took a rural Iowa position right of school (CRNA only). I am salaried with benefits at 190K per year. I work with another CRNA in a small rural town we split the call a week at a time. We average 44 call backs a year so about one every 9 days or so. I get 6 weeks of vacation which includes 1 week of CME which I am allowed an additional $4000 per year to utilize for my training. My AANA dues are paid for by the hospital and doescome out of my CME money. We rotate the work schedule a week at a time, but must be available throughout the week if needed. When I am on call and the primary CRNA I work about 15-20 hours per week. The next week when I am secondary (but not on call) I am off unless we have a heavy case load or the surgeon wants to swap rooms (which sometimes happens with ortho and ENT) I usually have to work about 10 hours on my week "off" when it is ENT or cataracts or ortho doc has three or 4 cases scheduled. When surgery is done I restock my carts check the schedule and hit the door. most days out by 11 or noon. The OBs seem to run in streaks and I will come in and place an intrathecal or epidural; bolus it hang around do some charting and check on my earlier patients make sure the OB is doing okay and then I am gone. While the other staff has to stay around and "keep busy" every day till 3pm I am at home kicking back watching TV planning the fall hunting trips or a really expensive week long vacation (CME Training). As for retirement I have a 403B plan that I sock away my 15K a year. The hospital also matches 5% of my gross which is another $9500. I do pay about $150/month for my family health insurance. Not sure how it is for other new grads out there but this my current happy situation."

Yeah wow you sound like money is pretty tight. All those horrible welfare moms trying to take your money. I'd be mad too.

So why is CRNA a villain because they have done well financially? I am sure he/she worked very hard to get the education that made their job possible. Why should he/she feel like they have to pass out their money to those that don't have it?

I understand some people are just in bad spots and need help from time to time. But you have to admit there are many that live off of government assistance and "time" their babies because their welfare will run out if they don't have another one. I am a generous and caring person but that doesn't mean I should have to share the "extra" that I have earned by working hard.

I know someone getting disability because of a drug problem that landed them in prison for a couple of years. Now he is using tax payers money to pay for his cell phone that he doesn't even need! He sits at home jobless complaining that no one will hire him because of his record. I am more than happy to help someone that is trying to help themselves but isn't quite making it, but NOT the ones that won't help themselves.

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Specializes in CCU & CTICU.
Get them into the workforce so they can take advantage of the free market and provide for themselves.

There are always going to be poor people. And just because you have a job, doesn't mean you can afford healthcare. And just because you have the skills, doesn't mean there is going to be a job for it. And just because there are resources, doesn't mean everyone is privy to it.

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Who says everyone has to be a CRNA to have a nice life. If someone is that poor their are plenty of government training programs, GED programs, college grants to provide a free college education for people in that situation. They have to be willing to take advantage of the opportunites before them. Even McDonalds pays more than minimum wage.

They dont exactly have the skills and life situations to go to CRNA school oftentimes.

Many go to work fast food or other minimum wage jobs with no health insurance and have child care issues because you cannot live off that kind of paycheck.

Plenty of them are drowning in the free market.

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