The Nurse's Think Tank

01/05/2018

Just taking a moment to recognize the great honor and responsibility of being rated the most honest and ethical profession in the US for the 16th consecutive year.

Nurses are rated highest for honesty and ethics, once again topping a list of 22 professions. The ratings of clergy members are at a new low.

12/20/2017

The tax bill expected to be signed today by the president has important ramifications for healthcare. Please consider how this might affect your patients and their families. https://hbr.org/2017/12/how-the-new-u-s-tax-plan-will-affect-health-care #

10/23/2017

Our campaign to raise awareness about this year's shorter ACA open enrollment period is going great - thank you for your engagement! If you want more resources to spread the word via social media, please go here:

We’re excited to start spreading the word about Open Enrollment. But to make sure we’re reaching as many people as possible, we need your…

10/20/2017

Since the government is not supporting publicity efforts to encourage enrollment in the ACA this year, a grass roots non-profit has decided to do that job for us. GetAmericaCovered.org is publicizing the shorter open enrollment period (November 1-December 15) and where to go for help. Let's support their efforts by making our profile pics their logo and share, share, share the info about open enrollment!
Here's the photo you can copy and use for your profile pic:

10/06/2017

IMPORTANT EDUCATION FOR OUR PATIENTS: The federal government is cutting the open enrollment period for ACA plans AND is slashing the budget for letting people know how to sign up. As nurses, we can help make sure our patients know when and how to sign up for health care coverage! And if you are a per diem RN, you might be using an ACA plan. Details at https://www.healthcare.gov/

Here’s the deal: Open enrollment is November 1 – December 15, 2017. That’s it. Go to https://www.healthcare.gov/blog/open-enrollment-2018-tips/ to see what you need to do to prepare to enroll. Also, there are several planned website outages on Sundays throughout the open enrollment period. We couldn’t find the dates and times listed on the government website, but they are noted in this Washington Post article https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/09/29/planned-healthcare-gov-outages-this-fall-are-comparable-to-2016-hhs-says/?utm_term=.bd3f2b3124b1

If help is needed with an application, go to https://localhelp.healthcare.gov/ . There is less funding for the navigator program this year, so start early to avoid a last minute crunch.
Please share this information in person and on social media!

Official site of Affordable Care Act. Enroll now for 2018 coverage. See health coverage choices, ways to save today, how law affects you.

10/03/2017

https://www.facebook.com/Thenursesthinktank/videos/1225758184201126/
There is legislation before the House to criminalize abortion after 20 weeks. http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/03/politics/house-vote-abortion-after-20-week-ban/index.html.
Revisit our Abortion and Planned Parenthood video to see why legislative restrictions to abortion and reproductive health care do not actually lower the abortion rate. All this legislation will do is endanger the lives and futures of women, all while accomplishing nothing toward the purported goal.

09/26/2017

Good news! Please keep up the pressure on your MOCs to work on health care reform that is meaningful, effective, and evidence-based. We don't think this is the last we'll hear of ACA repeal efforts.

Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, said Republicans would not move ahead with a vote on the latest plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

09/21/2017

We said in our last post that the new healthcare reform bill looks like more of the same. After having more time to read about it and consult the ANA, it turns out it's even worse than previous efforts. Stand up for your patients, call your senator!

Graham-Cassidy is the worst healthcare bill yet TweetPhoto: ABCAs Congress works its way through a packed September agenda, yet another attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is gaining momentum. Unfortunately, this legislation – like similar bills that have come before it – ha...

09/18/2017

Here is a template for letters to MOCs about healthcare reform. Be sure to put in your personal anecdotes (without violating HIPAA). http://act.commoncause.org/site/PageServer?pagename=sunlight_advocacy_list_page

For State Reps:
Dear Representative/Senator _________________,
Thank you for all the work you do on behalf of _________________. I am writing today to give you a nurse’s perspective on the state of our health care system. I work in a _____________________. The main barrier I have to serving my patients is that our system does not use resources effectively.
[Provide example of how inefficient use of resources affects your job and the care of your patients.]
I am a member of the Nurse’s Think Tank (https://www.facebook.com/Thenursesthinktank/). In our most recent poll, nurses said that they would most like to see the government intervene to provide price transparency to increase competition and patient choice and work toward a single payer or Medicare for all system. I know that moving forward at the state level is next to impossible in the context of unknown federal dollars. However, I implore you to do what you can to steer our dialog about health care reform so that the stories of my patients are not lost in the politics. Please support good ideas that make our system more equitable and effective. Even if we cannot currently create a complete overhaul of the system, we should not give up on reforming pricing structures and allocation of resources. We should not allow Washington’s political games to prevent us from doing good work.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,

For US MOCs:
Dear Representative/Senator _________________,
Thank you for all the work you do on behalf of _________________. I am writing today to give you a nurse’s perspective on the state of our health care system. I work in a _____________________. The main barrier I have to serving my patients is that our system does not use resources effectively.
[Provide example of how inefficient use of resources affects your job and the care of your patients.]
I am a member of the Nurse’s Think Tank (https://www.facebook.com/Thenursesthinktank/). In our most recent poll, nurses said that they would most like to see the federal government intervene to provide price transparency to increase competition and patient choice and work toward a single payer or Medicare for all system. Chris Murphy’s latest idea for allowing buy-in to the Medicare seems like a promising and politically feasible way to begin remaking our system so that costs are controlled and resources can be targeted to the most effective programs.
I implore you to do what you can to steer our dialog about health care reform so that the stories of my patients are not lost in the politics. Please support good ideas that make our system more equitable and effective.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,

09/18/2017

The ACA is threatened again. Senate Republicans have floated another attempt to repeal and replace that looks a lot like previous ideas. http://www.politico.com/story/2017/09/17/obamacare-senate-republicans-repeal-242821.

In the latest Nurse's Think Tank poll, you told us that you think the federal government should provide price transparency to increase competition and patient choice, and work on a single payer health care system. This proposal does neither. Tell your representative what you as a nurse think they should be focusing on! https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/

McConnell and his lieutenants will gauge support for the bill this week in private party meetings.