Love the current proposal or hate it, it's hard to deny that this country needs health care reform. And as a nurse married to a small business owner, I am certainly interested--and invested--in the topic.
As health care professionals, we have a first row seat to the drama as it unfolds. We know the stories of patients who have insufficient or no coverage. Who have not received the care they needed because it was too expensive. Who don't take their prescribed meds for the same reason. Who are denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. We also know the stories of the doctors, hospitals, and clinics who can barely keep their doors open because reimbursement is so terrible.
It's a mess, everywhere you turn. Unless you're the CEO of a big insurance company.
My goal for this post is not to tell you what I think about this topic, it's to hear what you have to say on the issue. It's each of our jobs, as nurses and as health care consumers, to stay informed. The problem is, it's hard to feel informed if you have to count on the media to give you the information.
Maybe we can help each other get a handle on this important conversation by sharing our knowledge, questions and ideas.
So, tell us what you think.
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September 1st, 2009 at 11:23 pm
This is a great post. We need to hear more from heatlhcare professionals like you on the topic. I hope you write more about it.
I talked about my opinions on the subject here:
http://www.staffingrobot.com/staffingrobot/2009/08/how-healthcare-reform-will-affect-the-healthcare-staffing-industry.html
September 2nd, 2009 at 8:04 am
All I can say on the matter is that I agree that the media is not providing an honest unbiased opinion, but then again, when have they?
I’ve been careless and raising my blood pressure by listening to Fox News. As the debate over government funded healthcare rages, fox news decided to support their ideas by saying the british health system is a disaster as well as the canadian public system. They may as well have attacked my new zealand system because we have a natinal health service.
Naturally they highlighted some individual disasters where people have suffered because of a public system, but it’s easy to find examples to suit your argument, both for and against. Do you americans with good health insurance still have bad experiences? Of course you do.
Here in NZ everyone has free hospital healthcare, but if you can afford it you can pay for private healthcare. It seems to work. Whether I work in NZ, Britain, Australia, we all seem to deal with the same problems. We deal with the same people, the nice, the bad, the rich and the dirt poor. We deal with the same conditions, the strokes, the MI’s, the trauma. From the american nurses I’ve worked and shared experiences with, it seems we all end up dealing with exactly the same stuff.
One thing which is interesting is that waiting times in British ER’s are substantially less than that in most American systmes? Fox news didn’t bother to mention that.
Anyway, I realise there is a lot more to and against this argument, but that damn Fox News is so bloody frustrating. I haven’t actually heard any news from them, only one sided, uninformative and insulting comments to support their own agenda.
Tell me what it’s like to nurse in America.
September 4th, 2009 at 5:30 pm
It’s a great idea to provide healthcare to those who need it. But how is this going to get paid for? The current medicare system is headed for bankruptcy in the next several years. If the new system is put into place and millions of citizens are added, will the government be able to pay for it? I don’t think so. We are already trillions of dollars in debt, and this will only add to it.
September 5th, 2009 at 2:58 am
I agree we need a health care reform.
But we do not need the one that is being displayed to us.
There are too many questionable issues and we can fix the ones we have now.
I disagree with a five member panel who makes a decision of health care for people. Their goals are to reduce cost and these people do not have medical background. No one will determine my life but my higher spirits not a five panel board appointed by the president. Therefore, I reject this part and I will not accept it for me.
We can get the money from the government who dip their hands into the medicad and medicare for other reasons. the government owes the health care system and physicians money and they need to pay their bill correctly. If the government pay their bill and return the money than the money will be enough in those programs.
Not all generic medications works better than the brand in all situations for everyone. As a health care provider we need to out weight benefits and cons for each individual.
Government does not need to interferre with the health care provider and the patient. Confidentiality plays an important key in order for health care treatment to be establish.
Many people are taking sides on the health care reform and I would challenge those who are taking sides….how many read it and tell me what does pages 25 – 30 states? If congress did not have the opportunity to read it. I know the public did not read it.
I read the one provided on the internet and I am up to page 550. It is a book of long trains of words that are meaningless or confusing or saying the same thing over again. In the beginning is all definitions which takes up half the page or the whole page.
How many read it? Heather, Bryon and Jason?
If you did not read it, how can you back up something that you do not read or research the information to support your support. Going on he/she say does not cut it….where is your evidence to back your answer……did you read the proposal of the health reform all one thousand pages?
September 6th, 2009 at 1:57 am
I’m so frustrated listening to the unbelievable stuff coming out of some of the media. Then the lies that are told. The majority of people have no idea what a true mess our healthcare system is in. I keep hearing the same BS “Obama is trying to take away our choices, blah blah” They have no idea that so many people have absolutely no choice! They have nothing. People that know nothing about it and are just in to support the insurance companies PLEASE SHUT UP! You guys got us in this mess, now move out of the way.