...Issue Analysis: The Affordable Care Act and Nursing April 7, 2013 Policy Issue Analysis: The Affordable Care Act and Nursing Problem Identification Healthcare costs are soaring in the United States today. More people than ever before are uninsured or underinsured. In 2006-07, there were 46 million people uninsured (Gulley, Rasch, & Chan, 2011), and 9 million children also did not have health insurance (Coddington & Sands, 2008). A change in how healthcare is managed and financed is greatly needed to avoid worsening of this situation. Background The cost of healthcare and the number of uninsured individuals has become a critical issue today. Healthcare spending in the U. S. has grown faster than the economy, by about two to three percent per year since the end of World War II (Brown, 2009, p. 1). If nothing changes, Medicare will cost as much as the sum of all federal income taxes in about 75 years (Brown, 2009, p. 2). Healthcare premiums have become so unaffordable, that many families do without. The lack of insurance has a direct effect on poor health outcomes, increasing morbidity and mortality, which also contributes to increased healthcare costs (Coddington & Sands, 2008, p. 1). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), also known as Obamacare, was signed into law on March 23, 2010, and the Supreme Court made a final decision to uphold the law on June 28, 2012 (U. S. Department of Health and Human Services). The PPACA...
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...The Implementation Of Health Care Reform Abstract The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides for new professional roles and educational opportunities in nursing. As the number of insured Americans increases, so will patient numbers. Increased insureds will increase demands for nursing care as this legislation is fully enacted. The ways in which nurses can provide solutions for enacting the legislation and caring for the millions of newly insured Americans are discussed. The act also provides for professional training and development of advanced practice nurses to meet the demands of increased care and increased patient load. Keywords: healthcare reform, nursing education, nursing roles Significance Of Nursing In The Implementation Of Health Care Reform Healthcare reform has captured our time and attention during the past few months, it has been a long and heated discussion. As the healthcare and its underlying payment system evolve in the face of the new Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; healthcare for all, a long time dream of many nurses, will be realized. This act requires all Americans to be covered by health insurance by 2014. Goals of the act are to not only enhance access to affordable care but also focus on wellness and prevention, bring care back to being patient...
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...cultural relations between societies, nurses are becoming front-line providers in countries where access to healthcare services are limited. In countries where infectious, communicable diseases are largely preventable through vaccination, and simple interventions to improve sanitation and safe drinking water, nurses have a unique opportunity fulfill their social responsibility as health promoters by collaborating with political and healthcare leaders to created sustainable solutions to identified needs. In addition to working as health promoters, nurses need competencies that are necessary to provide holistic nursing care and development of global attitude in providing health care to at risk population. Also they should be able to advocate for those in need of a voice. This paper is an annotated bibliography regarding international health in nursing. The reference cited address various information about the role of a nurse and what is global health in nursing. The references cited were obtained from numerous and widely scattered sources such as textbooks, electronic journals, magazines, and peer-reviewed journals. Chatwood, S., Bierregaard, P., & T. Kue, Y. (2012). Global Health-A Circumpolar Perspective. American Journal Of Public Health, 102(7):1246-1249. doi: 10.21.05/AJPH.2011.30058. The authors of this article discussed the fact that global health has largely replaced international health. In fact despite the mindset of international health development assistance implicit...
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...Different Era in the History of Nursing From Dark Ages to Renaissance (THE MIDDLE AGES) During the late middle Ages (1000-1500) -the crowding and poor sanitation in the monasteries nurses went into the community. During this era hospitals were built and the number of medical schools increases. Between 1500 and 1860 (A.D.) -the Renaissance all affected nursing. As nursing was not valued as an intellectual endeavor it lost much of its economic support and social status. The nursing conditions were at their worst and have been called the dark period of nursing. New hospitals had been built but quickly became places of horror as unsanitary conditions caused them to be a source of epidemics and disease. In 1545 -the council of Trent decreed that every community of women should live in strict enclosure. It took over 200 years of resistance for women to overcome this decree. The nursing sisters of France made little or no resistance such that their professional standards deteriorated. In the late 1500's - several groups began nursing and tending the sick, poor, and dying. These groups were St. Francis de Sales, the Order of the Visitation of Mary, St. Vincent DePaul, the Sisters of Charity, Dames de Charite', Louise le Gras, Brothers Hospitallers of St. John, Albuquerque, Order of St. Augustine, St. Camillas De Lellis, Jeanne Biscot, and the Nursing Sisters of St. Joseph de La Fleche. Many of these people came from rich and influential families. The...
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...Advancing Health.” This detailed report explores the need of the nursing profession to evolve and prepare for the impact that will occur as a result of the health care reform and the transformation that will be seen to our complex health care system. With the recent passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), millions of Americans who were previously uninsured now find themselves with the opportunity to seek out and obtain the much needed medical attention that was previously denied to them. With the heightened number of individuals who are now able to receive primary care, there is concern as to whether or not there will be enough providers available to handle the massive increase in patient load. The reformed health care system now brings on new challenges and these challenges offer nurses the opportunity to practice with more freedom in order help close the gaps within our health care delivery system. The IOM committee formulated key messages that structure its recommendation for this transformation, focusing on three crucial areas including nursing practice, nursing education, and nursing leadership. The IOM’s first key message addresses the need to transform practice and states that “Nurses should practice to the full extent of their education and training.” (Institute of Medicine, 2010) There is the need to allow nurses who have obtained the appropriate education, such as a masters or doctorate degree, also referred to as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) to...
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...regard to healthcare decisions. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law in 2010 and this was the biggest health care reform in decades. The Afford Care Act provides millions of Americans with health coverage who previously were without. This will cause changes in our health care system and the Institute of Medicine (IOM) issued a report in 2010 specifying what changes they think need to take place within the healthcare system to meet the needs of the public. This paper will discuss the impact on nursing resulting from the Institute of Medicine report: “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.” Specifically it addresses the impact on education, primary care practice, and nurse leadership roles. The Impact on Education One key message in the IOM report states that nurses need to achieve higher levels of education by having a better education system that easily allows progress from one degree to the next. (IOM, 2010) In fact one of the recommendations is for eighty percent of nurses to have a Bachelors of Science degree by the year 2020. This is an increase of thirty percent. How is this report having an impact? According to the Future of Nursing Coalition for Change progress is being made. Currently the number of nurses enrolled in RN to BSN programs has increased 53%. In Fall 2010 there were 77,259 and in Fall 2013 it went up to 118,176 students (Future on Nursing, 2014). Currently less than one percent of nurses have a doctoral degree and the IOM recommends...
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...after their health. As a result, the healthcare industry was born. Nurses were a vital part of that growing community. This paper will approach three different historical periods in the United States, discuss the nurse’s role in the community in regards to the major health issues of that period, how they partnered with the community to create new programs and finish with an intellectual discussion on how Jean Watson’s theory of Caring can be applied to the nurse’s role for each historical period. Period 1-- 1800s: In the early year of American settlement , female head of the family provided the care for sick in the family (Stanhope, Lancaster, 2008). In the early 1800s increased number of urban residents have changed the traditional caring system (Stanhope, Lancaster, 2008). After the American Revolution, increased urbanization and beginning industrialization contributed to epidemical diseases (Stanhope, Lancaster, 2008). In 1800, the first Marine Hospital was opened in Norfolk, Virginia (). In early 1800s, nursing care mainly focused on moral issues than illness intervention (Stanhope, Lancaster, 2008). “The public was interested in limiting disease among all classes of people for religious reasons as a form of charity” (Stanhope, Lancaster, 2008, p. 27). The Ladies’s Benevolent Society of Charleston, South Carolina for the sick and poor provided charitable assistance in the beginning of 1813 (Stanhope, Lancaster, 2008). In Philadelphia, lay nurses had brief...
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...Health Reform Essay for Concepts in Health Admin Graduate Course With the 2010 passing of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), health care leaders are facing increased pressure to meet the demands of the reform. The implementation of the ACA expanded healthcare coverage to millions of Americans. This expansion of coverage meant that health care facilities needed to be equipped with enough workers to meet the large number of patients who would now be seeking medical care. However, prior to the ACA, the health care force was already facing a shortage of providers, such as physicians and nurses (Anderson, 2014). So, while health care reform was necessary, it came at a time when health care systems were already in a fragile place. In order for health care institutions to meet the challenges of the ACA and be successful in today’s society, it is imperative that they are equipped with administrators and leaders who “…have diverse skills and a different intellectual approach, as well as creativity, adaptability, and flexibility” (Cicatiello, 2000, p. 21). Prior to the implementation of the ACA, barriers to health insurance left approximately 47 million Americans uninsured (Garfield et al., 2014). At that time, quality health insurance was very costly. Many Americans were too poor to afford health insurance, but made too much to qualify for Medicaid. Additionally, many of America’s largest companies did not offer health benefits to their employees, even if they...
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...What the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Means for Individuals Melanie Walker COM/156 September 23, 2012 Alicia Cathell Many of us have heard in the news that major changes are coming to health insurance. The new act will affect everyone by changing the way insurance is handled and how we receive our healthcare. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka ObamaCare or PPACA) will take effect over the next few years. Some citizens feel threatened by this act because of the negative publicity it has received, feeling that government should not have so much power over the health of the individual..These changes may seem catastrophic to those not aware of what the new insurance reform entails. They are scared of the unknown. Even though many feel that PPACA is unconstitutional with its penalties and reforms, the impact will affect millions of people by allowing them to receive proper healthcare. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act was passed to help establish affordable health care for all Americans. According to the article, Will Doctors Work less Under Obamacare, the new act will affect about 32 million Americans who currently cannot afford healthcare and do not qualify for federal assistance. (Garthwaite 2012) The first initiative of this act was passed in October 2011 which affected the dependents listed under a parent's insurance plan. Prior to the passing of the Act dependents could only be covered up to the age of 18 unless a full time...
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...Changes in the Health Care System and the Practice of Nursing have become complex. Technological changes, complicated client needs, short hospital length of stay, and departure from acute care to community based care, all these changes have underscore the need for professional nurses to think critically in order to provide safe and effective client care. A better educated nursing workforce can provide good health education to patients and their families. The affordable care of 2010 has required the need for nurses to expand their role of practice to meet complicated patient demands. This has prompted the Institute Of Medicine to review the “Future of Nursing, Leading change and Advancing Health”. {Creasia & Fribery,2011} The Impact of the IOM report on Nursing Education. According to IOM report the future of nursing is aimed at improving the health of Americans by transforming the nursing profession. It is important for nurses to receive higher education and training to meet the dynamic environment in which they will practice.{Institute of Medicine,2010}. The IOM recommends that 80% of the nursing workforce will have baccalaureate degree in nursing by the year 2020. These nurses would be able to promote quality of nursing care through their critical thinking skills and research. Nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training through an improved education system by encouraging associate degree nurses to obtain BSN degrees. A highly educated nurse is preferred to...
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...bring, we as humans are only capable of making predictions. One of the most prominent areas seen affected by emerging trends in the past and present is the healthcare field. Various aspects of healthcare will continue to grow and shape our future including: the nursing workforce, innovative medical technology, etc. As healthcare needs continue rise and the population ages, I believe a shortage in nursing may be imminent based on these subsequent rationales that are discussed. On March 23, 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. Lanthrop and Hodnicki stated in their article, “It is the most expansive healthcare reform legislation in the United States (US) since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965” (Lathrop, 2014). The healthcare reform was put into legislation to decrease the number of uninsured Americans by providing accessible, affordable, quality healthcare. In 2011, it was predicted that the number of Americans uninsured would be reduced by more than half when the Act is fully implemented (Rosenbaum, 2011). “The law will result in health insurance coverage for about 94% of the American population, reducing the uninsured by 31 million people” (Rosenbaum, 2011). With the expanded access to health insurance provided by this law, more and more people are now seeking health care. Because of this new trend, the supply and demand for nurses and other healthcare professionals will be unbalanced. Another rationale for shortages has to...
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...bring, we as humans are only capable of making predictions. One of the most prominent areas seen affected by emerging trends in the past and present is the healthcare field. Various aspects of healthcare will continue to grow and shape our future including: the nursing workforce, innovative medical technology, etc. As healthcare needs continue rise and the population ages, I believe a shortage in nursing may be imminent based on these subsequent rationales that are discussed. On March 23, 2010 the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) was signed into law. Lanthrop and Hodnicki stated in their article, “It is the most expansive healthcare reform legislation in the United States (US) since the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965” (Lathrop, 2014). The healthcare reform was put into legislation to decrease the number of uninsured Americans by providing accessible, affordable, quality healthcare. In 2011, it was predicted that the number of Americans uninsured would be reduced by more than half when the Act is fully implemented (Rosenbaum, 2011). “The law will result in health insurance coverage for about 94% of the American population, reducing the uninsured by 31 million people” (Rosenbaum, 2011). With the expanded access to health insurance provided by this law, more and more people are now seeking health care. Because of this new trend, the supply and demand for nurses and other healthcare professionals will be unbalanced. Another rationale for shortages has to...
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...Impact of IOM 2010 Report on the Future of Nursing Troy Bradley Grand Canyon University: Professional Dynamics June 7, 2013 Impact of IOM 2010 Report on the Future of Nursing In 2010, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released its report The Future of Nursing, Leading Change, Advancing Health. This report addresses the opportunity the United States has to transform its health care system into a higher quality, safer, more affordable and accessible system since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (Institute of Medicine, 2010). There are many recommendations on how to bring about this transformation. Three specific nursing areas which could be affected by these are education, practice (particularly primary care), and nursing roles as leaders. Within these are also recommendations not just for future nurses, but for practical changes the nurse can make in everyday practice now. Impact on Education The report clearly recommends nurses should achieve higher levels of education and training. It emphasizes the need for more nurses to enter the workforce with a baccalaureate degree, or to obtain one early in their career (Institute of Medicine, 2010). This is a requirement many hospitals are already putting into place. It also clearly makes its case for an all-BSN workforce at the entry level, in order to have the uniform foundation for the future nursing roles that they envision. The committee believes the nursing workforce should be at 80% having a BSN by 2020. They...
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...improve. When dealing with the Leadership strand I place myself in the graduate column. I have demonstrated leadership skills as a director of nursing of a small home health company when organizing and motivating nursing staff in understanding and complying with...
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...identified that a health care reform is needed to ensure that all individuals have access to health care. In March 2010 President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to ensure all individuals in the United States will have access to quality health care ("Key Features Affordable Care ", 2013). Many organizations, including the Institute of Medicine (IOM), recognize that changes need to be made to the current health care system in order for Affordable Care Act to be successful. In 2010 the IOM issued a report reflecting changes needed in health care including: nursing education, nursing practice, and nursing roles as leaders (“Future Nursing”, 2010). Changes in Education According to the IOM report, nursing education is one area of health care that requires changes. Currently entry nursing is comprised of nurses with diplomas, associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees, and master's degrees. The IOM's goal is to have 80% of nurses with a minimum of a baccalaureate degree and allow them to practice to the fullest of their education and training by 2020. Health care will be shifting to more patient centered care, focusing on health promotion and preventative care with less acute and specialty care. Associate level nursing curriculums do not prepare nurses with this information; therefore, it is crucial that nurses have a baccalaureate degree to be prepared to care for patients in this changing environment. Since care will be provided in community settings, nurses need to be...
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