Healthcare for All: How Obamacare Impacts Nursing

6 2014 has certainly been a year for the history books as far as healthcare is concerned. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, (ACA) the very nature of the business of healthcare in the United States has fundamentally changed.

As enrollment in the colloquially-named "Obamacare" closed in the spring of this year, the White House reported around 8 million enrollees. Of those estimates, a high percentage of those were previously uninsured.

Now, whether you're impressed by, or skeptical of the Affordable Care Act, it goes without saying, the level at which Americans are receiving medical benefits has dramatically shifted.

So, we toss the question to you nurses; how has the rollout of the ACA affected your job? Has it affected your work at all? We'd like to hear your thoughts!

Please complete the poll by voting in each of the 3 areas - personal job, nurses in general, overall health care. Then please tell us how the ACA has affected you personally, nurses in general, and the nature of healthcare. Last edit by tnbutterfly on Oct 9, '14
I'm interested in hearing some perspectives now that the ACA has been in place for a while. As a Canadian I have never known anything other than universal health care.

Honestly I can't say how it has effected overall care around my area. I can say my daughter was looking to buy her own insurance. O care looked dandy til she saw the $6,000.00 deductible. Cheaper to have her pay me for to stay on my insurance.

Just what we all needed, more regulations and more documentation . Some people who didn't have insurance before, now have it. Other people who previously had insurance have had their private policies dropped without warning and now are faced with higher premiums and higher deductibles. Will all this improve health care? I guess time will tell.

Quote from ppfdHonestly I can't say how it has effected overall care around my area. I can say my daughter was looking to buy her own insurance. O care looked dandy til she saw the $6,000.00 deductible. Cheaper to have her pay me for to stay on my insurance.

In response to the post from Canada: I just wanted to point out that this system is still not actually universal healthcare. It is still prohibitively expensive to obtain care unless you qualify for Medicaid, our low income HC system. Insurance premiums are even higher than before and deductible amounts make it senseless to pay the premiums. It is still cheaper to pay the penalty for not having insurance and pay the doctor out-of-pocket. The new insurance system is really only feasible for hospitalization.And yes, I am a nurse, and still can't afford insurance.

I'm an ER nurse. I haven't noticed any increase in patients who are insured. The ACA has made it easier for those really seeking/wanting health insurance to obtain it,Good for those who have lost thei insurance, etc. But nothing has changed for those who use the ER as a revolving primary care. They'll pay the "fine" out of their huge tax return and that's that.

Quote from tamiwill1In response to the post from Canada: I just wanted to point out that this system is still not actually universal healthcare. It is still prohibitively expensive to obtain care unless you qualify for Medicaid, our low income HC system. Insurance premiums are even higher than before and deductible amounts make it senseless to pay the premiums. It is still cheaper to pay the penalty for not having insurance and pay the doctor out-of-pocket. The new insurance system is really only feasible for hospitalization.And yes, I am a nurse, and still can't afford insurance.

I've had multiple patients with the preexisting condition issue which has greatly inhibited their care (which the ACA now gets rid of). Personally I have experienced free prenatal and newborn wellness visits which I think are great. I'm wondering what the negatives are that so many people reference in the poll?

Quote from RN_rescue_ninjaIf you get insurance through the healthcare marketplace, you get credits/refunds from te government to ensure your premium payments aren't more than 1% of your income; meanwhile, if you're paying your premiums through insurance at work, there's no refunds/credits

I've seen no difference in patients and my health insurance from work has not been impacted, YET; however, when our union contract renews, we may see an impact on our costs.

Quote from RN_rescue_ninjaIf you get insurance through the healthcare marketplace, you get credits/refunds from te government to ensure your premium payments aren't more than 1% of your income; meanwhile, if you're paying your premiums through insurance at work, there's no refunds/credits

Quote from Susie2310But not everyone is eligible for those credits. You have to make a certain amount. In some states, if you make less than a certain amount, you are required to either apply for medicaid, or, if you choose to receive your health care from physicians/health plans of your choice, pay the full amount of the monthly premium, along with co-payments and deductibles. Without the credit the premium can be $600 a month for an individual, and the yearly deductible can be $6000.