subject: Why Do Nurses Support Health Insurance Reform? [print this page] Health insurance reform has obviously inspired strong opinions upon medical professionals. Their livelihood may be at stake. In general, doctors have been split on the issue. Some fear that the increase of insured patients will flood primary care physicians and result in lower quality of care. Others believe that the recently passed legislation will help improve health outcomes, due to greater access to preventative care.
On the other hand, more nurses have come out in support of the bill. While some worry about the federal government becoming yet another intermediary in their job, the American Nurses Association expressed its support for healthcare reform legislation prior to its passage. The decision to endorse it was relatively easy for Rebecca M. Patton, the organization's president; it includes more funding for educating advanced practice nurses.
Putting aside their own self-interest, it is possible that nurses who support health insurance reform are intimately familiar with inequalities in the current system. Registered nurses are often on the front lines of medicine. Patients tend to see them more often than they do their doctors, and often get to know them better. A nurse is more likely to know if someone is struggling with their co-payments for frequent cancer treatments, for example.
The majority of nurses consider themselves to be patient advocates. They feel that they are unable to effectively advocate if a patient has no options other than the emergency room, due to being uninsured or under-insured. Nurses are at an even greater loss when a patient returns because they were unable to afford the prescription medications necessary to control their conditions.
Reform of health insurance plans may or may not solve all of these problems. However, it promises to eliminate lifetime or annual caps on medical benefits and allow everyone access to decent health insurance. There are nurses breathing a sigh of relief, since they can concentrate on the health of their patients as opposed to wrangling with insurance companies.
by: Yamileth Medina
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