Nurse Shortages Continue to Plague the Health Care Industry

admin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:28:48 +0000

Nurses are in more demand than ever. That’s good news as far as nurses and those still in the nursing programs are concerned. But not so for the hospitals and health care facilities scrambling to hire new qualified nurses of all specialties.

The weak links in the “nursing supply chain” start from a lack of enough nursing programs in colleges and extend all the way up to the high cost of living in some metropolitan areas.

Sometimes the legislators get the blame for not earmarking enough money to support the existing nursing programs and start new ones. And in some other instances, the realities of the job market divert nurses to far away places for better pay and more promising career challenges.

The nurse shortage is acute in Central Texas where an additional 5,000 nurses are needed by 2010, which is only three years away at the time of this writing.

The same is true of California. According to a 2006 study conducted by the California Hospitals Association, there are 622 nurses for every 100,000 Californians, in contrast to the average of 787 nurses per 100,000 Americans. California is ranked 49th out of 50 states by CHA in availability of nurses.

But parts of California fare even worse. In North County, for example, there are only 356 nurses per 100,000 residents.

The situation looks similar in parts of Canada. In a recent news story, the O’Leary Hospital in Prince Edwards Island was reported to “go from 16 beds down to five” for the rest of this summer “unless more nurses can be found.”

Paradoxically enough, sometimes improvements in the overall health care system can actually reduce the demand for nurses. The overall picture is a complex one.

Lorie Shoemaker, chief nursing officer at Palomar Pomerado Health, for example, is quoted for pointing out to a less demand for nurses with the “national shift from traditional health insurance policies to managed care plans focused on keeping people well.” When people feel better and get sick less often, hospitals close and nurses move out to places where they are needed more.

By: U. Akinci

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The Reason’s Why You Need Health Insurance

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:26:22 +0000

One of the biggest debates in America usually begins and ends with health insurance. The health care industry in this country is one that is becoming expensive for the common man. With health care costs rising with the advent of new life saving technology and medicine, it is becoming more and more expensive to receive health care if you become sick. This article will focus on the different reasons why it is important to have health insurance and the benefits and disadvantages that is associated with this type of insurance.

As mentioned above health care is extremely expensive and you never know when you may become sick. If you do become sick, hospital fees can reach levels, where you may become bankrupt. The beauty of health insurance is the fact that for a small monthly fee (premium) you can have coverage in the event you become sick and need to seek medical treatment. This makes health insurance very beneficial as it can protect your family against financial hardships that may result from health care expenses

If you have health insurance your are somewhat protected financially against sickness. Let’s say you do not have health insurance and you become sick and have to pay a tremendous hospital bill. After spending all that money, you might get sick again and this time wont have the money to cover the cost of the treatment. In a scenario like this you might be sued or a lien placed on your property in an attempt to recover the costs of the medical bills.

Another benefit of having health insurance is the fact that your are more likely to go and visit a health facility to get preventative care or treat your ailment. Some people who do not have health insurance wait until the problem reaches a level when they are very sick or when their condition becomes too expensive to be treated. Even in an event like this, there is still the option of going to the county hospital, which is extremely bad. The conditions are overcrowded and you might take a long time before you are seen or treated.

By: James Daltons

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Health Country » Health Care Industry

Nurse Shortages Continue to Plague the Health Care Industry

The Reason’s Why You Need Health Insurance