National Nurses United

NewsBriefs_Jan 2011 2/24/11 10:18 PM Page 8 WRAP-UP REPORT (Continued from page 6) California publicly embarrassing a health insurance company does work, or at least for 60 days. Hundreds of nurses, patient, and other activists organized by the California Nurses Association picketed the San Francisco headquarters of Blue Shield on Feb. 1 to protest imminent rate increases of up to 59 percent for policy holders. That same day, Blue Shield announced it would delay the rate hikes for 60 days—something it had refused to do before, even when asked to by California insurance commission Dave Jones. At the same time, the research division of CNA released a report detailing how seven health plans denied, on average, 25 percent of all insurance claims in the first three quarters of 2010. The worst offender, PacifiCare, denied 43.9 percent of claims. "Insurance companies that gouge patients and deny care should be shut down," declared Martha Kuhl, a pediatrics oncology and hematology RN and the treasurer of National Nurses United. Patrick Killelea, a contract programmer from Menlo Park, Calif., said that Blue Shield rates for his family have skyrocketed from $450 per month to $777 per month in just the past year. Kerry Abukhalaf, who owns a computer consulting business with her husband in Alameda, Calif., said that her family's rates have risen by more than $200 per month and they are considering just finding a policy for their young son but dropping coverage for themselves. On top of these high premiums, each family has deductibles of more than $8,000 per year. "It's completely not worth the price," said Abukhalaf, noting that their premiums are almost half as much as their monthly rent. "It's just a big rip off." Texas texas nurses kicked off the new year with a double shot: contract proposals in negotiations with HCA-affiliated hospitals and state legislation in Austin. The same NNOC contract proposals for minimum staffing and safe patient care will be made by union negotiating committees in Florida, 8 N AT I O N A L N U R S E Nevada, Kansas, and Missouri. The Texas RN negotiating committee used stories from their hospitals to illustrate the need for six principles of safe patient care — Enforceable minimum staffing levels that are based on patient acuity. The right of RNs to refuse unsafe staffing assignments, including unsafe floating. The right of RNs to advocate for patients with protections against retaliation. Lift protections for RNs and patients. Protection from technology that undermines or slows down the nursing process or undermines the clinical and professional judgment of RNs. A paid professional practice committee consisting of only bedside RNs that can require meetings with the CNO to address and correct staffing and other patient care issues. Contract negotiations took place in Corpus Christi recently and will continue in Brownsville later this month. From left: Nurses and patients picket Blue Shield headquarters; VA nurses in Orlando, Fla. Veterans Administration representatives and directors from all 22 VA units met in Orlando, Fla. January 8-9 for the first quarterly meeting of NNU-VA. The leaders of the VA units met to discuss issues of each VA unit and to set a united strategy for dealing with upcoming contract negotiations and overall implementation of a representational and mobilization plan for the almost 8,000 staff RNs of NNU-VA. One new issue identified at the meeting was a lack of timely evaluations for staff RNs in many of the VA units. Attendees set a plan to gather data and prepare to file a national grievance on this issue with the VA.  NNU-VA has already been working to improve working conditions in the VA. In January, NNU-VA won its first successful national grievance with the VA over a contract violation of the master contract regarding dues deductions. VA Nurses are "protecting America's heroes" every day, and will continue to represent and support them in their work. —Staff report W W W. N A T I O N A L N U R S E S U N I T E D . O R G sent out a recent reminder that "[today's] official poverty threshold is set at three times the food budget in 1959, adjusted for inflation. But because of major changes in the typical family budget over the past 50 years, many critics say this method is outdated and usually underestimates the amount of income a family needs to cover basic expenses." The Brookings Institute found one in three Americans was living at twice of poverty or less. If corporate America continues to successfully play its trifecta—hoarding capital, maintaining low wages, and downsizing labor—the poverty trends will be hard to buck, good news for those making money on Medicaid. The new law sets the Medicaid eligibility bar higher than today—to 133 percent of poverty. That means, in 2014, an individual earning about $15,000 a year will qualify. At this new level, California is expected to add 2 million to its Medicaid rolls; Texas is a close second with an estimated 1.9 additions to come. Against this backdrop of growing poverty and greater access to Medicaid, enter the insurance companies, already milking their Medicaid contracts and teed up for billions more. The need to cut through the profiteering that defines this industry-dominated insurance system, one in which revenues are high and results are not, could not be more glaring. And CNA/NNU's Top 10 Reasons to replace it with universal, single-payer healthcare could not be more compelling. The list provides a blueprint for critically needed change, including one level of comprehensive care, fair reimbursements applied equally to all providers, and sensible cost savings. Preventive care, quality of care through appropriate staffing ratios, and elimination of wasteful administrative costs all have a proven track record in saving dollars and lives. With diabetes and obesity at near-epidemic levels, and other indications of a public health system in demise, any delay in breathing sense into our nation's healthcare will have disastrous results. For the vast majority of Americans who fund Medicaid and for the poor who rely on its benefits, Medicaid as a profit center is the biggest booby prize of all. —Carl Ginsburg JANUARY | FEBRUARY 2011

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