Wanted: healthcare reformPresident Obama asks for nursing support in making healthcare reform a reality
By Kimberly Retzlaff
Associate Editor, AORN Journal
President Barack Obama beseeched nurses to continue to show their support of healthcare reform during a Sept. 10 address to the American Nurses Association (ANA). During his address, Obama expressed his gratitude for the work nurses do in America and explained a few of his goals for improving health care in the United States, including making changes to the way insurance companies function and ensuring that all Americans have affordable health care.
Paula Graling (left), Rebecca Patton (middle) and Trish Seifert were invited to the White House in September to hear President Obama speak to nurses about the health reform movement.
“[President Obama] talked about the importance of nursing and the importance of nurses in patient care, and he made the case for his health policy initiatives,” said Patricia C. Seifert, RN, MSN, CNOR, CRNFA, FAAN, editor-in-chief of the AORN Journal, who attended the meeting as an AORN representative with Paula Graling, RN, MSN, CNS, CNOR, a past president of AORN. “Overall, the president stressed not wanting to add more cost and wanting to improve the quality of care. He discussed few specific measures because the specifics are currently being ironed out in the committees.”
Nurses in America
To begin the address to the approximately 200 nurses in attendance in room 450 of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building in Washington, President Obama discussed his respect and appreciation for nurses.
“I’ve got a wonderful history working side by side with all of you to make sure that we’ve got the best healthcare system in the world,” he said after thanking ANA President Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR, for her leadership on behalf of nurses. “And, as a consequence, I want to say thank you for all the support you’re providing for health insurance reform for the American people.”
Before he elaborated on his vision for healthcare reform in America, President Obama talked about his personal experiences with nurses, during the births of his daughters, when his daughter, Sasha, was diagnosed with meningitis, and when his mother passed away from cancer. Each time, he said, “extraordinary” nurses were there to provide care and support.
“You’re the bedrock of our medical profession,” President Obama continued, saying that because of this, nurses understand better than most how badly our country needs healthcare reform.
Ideas for insurance reform
“As nurses, every day we see first-hand the heart-breaking consequences of our nation’s flawed system,” Patton said in a Sept. 10 news release from the ANA. “We see patients in danger when they can’t access or afford the care they need. We hold a patient’s hand when they learn that their health insurance coverage has been denied or cancelled. And we see the day-to-day human cost of this system—in the eyes of our patients and their families.”
An estimated 6 million people became uninsured during the past year alone, and those who do have health insurance often have to wonder if they will be covered in the event of serious illness, Obama said. His goals for health care include the desire to create some competition in the market, thereby lowering costs, and to give Americans a choice in their insurance providers.
Obama said he plans to create more affordable health care by stimulating competition in the market. “I’ve said it from the outset . . . one way to give people a real choice when it comes to their health care and keep insurance companies honest, is by making one of the options available in such a marketplace a not-for-profit public option.”
Getting involved
The president shared his hope that healthcare reform will allow all Americans to have quality, affordable health insurance this year, and he asked nurses to continue doing their part to make health reform a reality.
“Nurses represent a very unique set of skills that are going to be necessary for improving health care,” Seifert said. “I think that they currently are such a vital component of health care but are not always recognized as such. Certainly from my perspective, I would like to see a more explicit recognition of that value. And I think that we’re starting to see it. But this is not just about nursing. It’s about so many things because there are so many aspects of health care that are being addressed.”
One important topic in the healthcare reform discussions is the adoption of an electronic health record (EHR). Supporting a standardized electronic patient record has the potential to reduce errors, Seifert added, because less variability fosters greater accuracy and therefore fewer patient safety errors. “AORN has made a great start with creating an EHR through its Syntegrity™ project,” she said.
To get involved in the debate, nurses may choose to support the Obama Administration’s proposal or someone else’s, Seifert said. First and foremost, regardless of party affiliation, “perioperative nurses ought to be aware of the various bills and proposals,” she added. “Being informed is critical to making good decisions. The second thing is to support your colleagues in nursing, to articulate how you can improve patient care.”
In addition to being informed about legislation and the healthcare proposals, nurses can get involved by sharing their ideas and opinions with their elected officials. The Legislative Action Center has lists of elected officials’ names and contact information by zip code, and can be accessed at www.aorn.org/PublicPolicy by clicking the “Go” button under Get Involved.
Additional Resources
AORN Advocacy Update
AORN Grassroots sign-up
Information on Healthcare Reform
Transcript of Obama’s address to the ANA: www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-President-on-Health-Insurance-Reform/
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