The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Essays

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Essays The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Essay The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Essay Each time someone stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against Injustice, he sends a tiny ripple of hope. Robert F. Kennedy The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 Is a new law that mandates that everyone In the united States have health Insurance/coverage by year 2014 or subject to a tax. Notably, the new law is thousands of pages long which does not lend itself to easy interpretation. However, at this time, no one appears to be willing to even agree to disagree. While everyone seems to agree that there will be dramatic hanged in the delivery of healthcare and its effects on the nursing profession, no one knows for sure whether its impact will make nurses jobs better or worse. Certain segments of the population have worked themselves into a frenzy over the proposed adverse effects of the PACE on healthcare delivery system and its effects on the nursing profession but the truth of the matter Is, a lot of what healthcare experts say is pure supposition and conjecture. One has to always consider how others personal agendas fit Into an equation or view-point. No one will know the laws total Impact until the rubber actually hits the road. I would wager a guess, however, that nurses will fare far better than critics think. While some experts say that PACE will Increase the workload of nurses, there is also evidence to suggest that it will also provide greater opportunity for the nursing profession by increasing job opportunities for both nurses and nurse practitioners, allowing for increased funding for nursing education, thereby creating greater career opportunities for both. Additionally, quality of care will not be jeopardized. Yes there is much to be surmised about this much dreaded day, according to many. During reflection, I can almost liken it to the mass hysteria of the year 2000. The world broke out Into mass hysteria because of dire predictions that at the stroke of midnight January 1, 2000 everything electronic and computer driven would go haywire. However, when the clock stuck midnight nothing happened as postulated. The heart and lung machines did not stop working, aircrafts did not suddenly nose dive to the ground, your simple computer did not cease to function. The world as we knew it did not change for the worse. Similarly, the impact of the PACE will not impact the healthcare delivery system exactly how postulated by pundits and the world at large. Yes it will take the country by storm but not necessarily in an all negative or all positive way. I like to believe that with change comes great opportunity for improvement; after all, the outlaw of slavery allowed for great invention It facilitated Eli Whitney Invention of the cotton gin. A survey of Urns across the country revealed varied opinions on whether an Increase in patient workload Would negatively affect their pollen of PACE, Most agreed that It would, however, they Included many positive effects of the PACE on the nursing profession. McNealy Gloria J, April 2010. The article suggest that in order to encourage education, including grants for associate, bachelors, and advanced degree loan reimbursement. In addition to greater career opportunities, nurses will also find work opportunities in new areas of focus under the PACE. These include nurse-to-family home visit partnerships, in which specially trained nurses make home visits to first time, low income families. New opportunities will also become available in new school based health clinics that will provide expanded care to students. While more Americans may be making appointments to see a doctor, there will not be enough doctors to support the new patient load. It has been reported that the United States face a 30 percent shortage of primary care physicians as there will be a increase of new patients that now has insurance coverage. ANA, August 2009. The PACE recognizes these shortages and has allocated funding to establish nurse- managed clinics. These clinics will allow nurse practitioners (NP) to provide primary and preventatives to patients. A NP is a registered nurse who holds a masters degree and has undergone advanced clinical training to care for a wide range of patients. In some states, Naps already have the ability to treat and diagnose patients as well as prescribe medication. The penalty of success is by the people who use to snub nurses, Nancy Astor. And according to most pundits, there will be both losers and winners in the effort to remake the healthcare delivery system. However, I believe clear cut winners will include nurses. The increased demand for quality-cost efficient medical care, pulled with lower reimbursements for hospitals and doctors, greater career choices for nurses will position more nurses/Naps to be called on to provide care that was traditionally provided by physicians. It will expand the scope of what nurses can do. It will also allow nurses to work more independently, especially in places that are undeserved, such as poor inner city neighborhoods and rural areas . According to ACNE series, Petrel Poorhouse, the nursing profession is likely to thrive rather than struggle during the health care reform years that lie ahead.