Brian Davis – Page 8 – Capitol Beat

Will you #EndNurseAbuse?

This guest post is by Alex Wubbels, RN.

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Back in late July, I was arrested for following my hospital’s policy and protecting an unconscious patient who could not consent to a blood draw. I was wrongfully seized by force in the middle of the emergency department.

Even though my story made national news, most do not. Did you hear about the emergency department nurse who was stabbed by a patient in Massachusetts? Or the Arkansas nurse who was pushed down a flight of stairs? Or the two nurses in Illinois who were taken hostage (one of whom was beaten and raped)? Sadly, the list goes on and on. With one out of every four nurses reporting that they’ve been assaulted at work, you’ve either experienced this personally or know a colleague who has been abused.

The fact that we are more likely to experience violence on the job than prison guards or police officers is unacceptable, and we must work together to #EndNurseAbuse.

As an ANA member, I was fortunate to have the support of my organization, community, and a tribe of fellow nurses during this difficult time.

I truly believe that what happened to me can lead to positive change in our profession. That’s why I decided to speak out: to stop this abuse from happening to others. I’ve teamed up with ANA to ask you to sign our pledge and stop this culture of violence. I am committed to this goal so we are not put in situations where we have to fear for our safety, or have to choose between our jobs and our licenses.

By adding your name, you’re saying you support zero tolerance when it comes to violence against nurses; that you’ll report abuse whenever you safely can; and that you’ll share with others asking them to sign too.

Please join me by adding your name and taking the pledge.

Thank you,
Alex Wubbels, RN

A committee hearing reveals why Graham-Cassidy is struggling to pick up supporters

With a vote looming as soon as Wednesday, members of the Senate Finance Committee assembled earlier today to hold a hearing on the Graham-Cassidy healthcare reform proposal and were met, immediately and unsurprisingly, with protest, as disability rights advocates continued their strong opposition to Republican efforts to cutting Medicaid, a key plank of Graham-Cassidy.

In spite of last minute changes to the bill to try to persuade Senators who haven’t publicly opposed it, the committee hearing put a spotlight on the bill’s long list of shortcomings, and perhaps unintentionally provided a showcase for why the legislation is struggling to win a majority of votes, from its emphasis on block grants for Medicaid to re-introducing coverage penalties for those with pre-existing condition.

Despite this, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), one of the bill’s chief sponsors, offered a number of arguments intended to win back support that critics called misleading. Cassidy noted, for example, that states could expand Medicaid if they desired to do so – despite the fact that his bill repeals expansion eligibility, and it’s unclear what steps states would have to take to restart expansion.

Late last week, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) removed himself from that list of undecided Senators by publicly stating that he couldn’t vote for a bill like Graham-Cassidy that hadn’t gone through regular order and had only garnered support from members of one political party.

Finally, as the day came to a close, the Congressional Budget Office once again weighed in and found that this version of repeal-and-replace, much like previous versions, would strip care away from millions of Americans, though it could not be more specific due to the wide latitude the legislation would give to states, particularly regarding cuts to Medicaid. As she did in late July, Sen. Susan Collins also announced her opposition, potentially dooming Graham-Cassidy once and for all.

ANA formally announced its opposition, and continues to urge all nurses and advocates who care about strengthening affordable care to reach out to their Senators by clicking here.

Graham-Cassidy is the worst healthcare bill yet

As 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 – has chosen to leave nurses out of the process, and as a result would leave too many patients without the care they need.

As we’ve previously addressed, legislation sponsored by Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) would make drastic and dangerous cuts to the American healthcare system by repealing Medicaid expansion starting in2020, eliminating the critical Prevention and Public Health Fund, and creating high-risk pools for individuals with pre-existing conditions (effectively removing ACA-implemented essential health benefit protections for those patients), among other misguided policies.

The block grants to states that Graham-Cassidy would use to replace the ACA would also continue to shrink before, in 2026, disappearing entirely, leading to even more cuts. In other words, the legislation goes further than what was proposed this summer – which at its worst was projected by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) to cause up to 32 million Americans to lose their coverage.

Meanwhile, the process surrounding the bill continues to fall well short of Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) repeated calls for a return to regular order. While the Senate Finance committee has planned a single hearing around Graham-Cassidy, the CBO will not have time to fully score the legislation, meaning it will remain unclear how many patients would have their care stripped away as a result.

Criticism of the bill is widespread: on Tuesday, Democratic, Republican, and independent governors from Alaska, Colorado, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Montana, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Virginia released a letter announcing their opposition, writing that, “Only open, bipartisan approaches can achieve true, lasting reforms.” And as with the so-called Affordable Health Care Act and Better Care Reconciliation Act, no Democratic senators have announced their support for Graham-Cassidy, with conservative Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) also expressing skepticism that he’ll be a yes vote if and when it comes to the floor.

Regardless of the current whip count, which is constantly evolving, the stakes are too high to count on another dramatic late night vote that saves the day. Don’t wait: click here to be connected with your Senators and urge them to vote no on Graham-Cassidy. In the absence of real dialogue, nurses’ voices are needed now more than ever.