National Nurses United

NewsBriefs:2 5/29/09 12:19 PM Page 9 WRAP-UP REPORT Ohio since the opening of CNA/NNOC's Ohio office, RNs have noticed that they are gaining a higher profile within the state, with nurses around the state calling the office for advice and elected officials seeking their endorsement. In April, Ohio RNs conducted a one-week whirlwind of legislative visits to gain introduction of the Ohio Hospital Patient Protection Act. Nurses from Dayton, Cleveland, and Akron met with the chief of staff for U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown to inform him about nurse understaffing and discuss healthcare reform. RNs also met with more than 20 state legislators during the Ohio AFL-CIO's legislative conference. Nurses discovered that the statehouse cafeteria is a great place to meet and lobby elected officials. RNs were warmly greeted by state Sen. Sue Morano, the only registered nurse in the Ohio State Legislature. A high point was speaking with Gov. Ted Strickland, who was seen reading Registered Nurse magazine as he left for his next appearance! Pennsylvania two registered nurses from the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals (PASNAP) testified recently at the state and federal levels in favor of single-payer healthcare. Marilyn Cawthon, an RN from Lower Bucks Hospital in Bristol, Penn. testified before a Congressional briefing about her hardship after being denied payment for a stent that had been preapproved by her health insurer. Though her insurer repeatedly insisted that there was "no problem" in reimbursing the hospital for her surgery, Cawthon was billed $24,471. The hospital reported that the insurer was refusing to pay due to a "pre-existing condition." Even though the insurer had no proof of any pre-existing condition, it simply refused payment while claiming to Marilyn that "everything is fine, don't worry, it'll get worked out." Meanwhile, her credit was ruined. Cawthon's story is one of many reminders of the dysfunction of a system based on private insurers. She, however, is a fighter and after four years of appeals, including a direct plea which won the sympathy of the company's CEO (who himself was on his deathbed at the time), got the reimbursement promised her. As Cawthon testified, "I don't see this problem in terms of politics but in terms of what kind of healthcare system would help others avoid the struggle I endured. Under single-payer, I would have been able to go to my own private doctor and hospital. And my life and finances would not have been turned upside down by a private insurance company." PASNAP's president, Patricia Eakin, RN testified before the Pennsylvania Democratic House Policy Committee in favor of a state single-payer bill. As an ER nurse in the busiest hospital in Philadelphia in one of the poorest neighborhoods in the state, she has seen innumerable patients forgo basic care only to end up sicker than they should have been. As Eakin testified, "I recentW W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G ly had a patient come in for an unrelated problem, but his blood pressure happened to be 220/130. On further questioning, he admitted he had been told he had high blood pressure, but had stopped taking his pills because his workplace closed and he lost his health insurance. Blood work revealed pretty serious kidney damage, with dialysis being the prescribed treatment for the rest of his life. He is only 49 and his life is changed forever." Without fundamental change to how healthcare is financed, said Eakin, nurses across the United States will continue to battle to keep their community hospitals open. Heavily relied-upon hospitals such as Northeastern Hospital in Philadelphia are shutting down left and right not because the beds are empty, but because many of their patients do not have insurance and Medicaid reimbursements are inadequate to keep pace with the big teaching hospitals. Under a singlepayer system, these disparities would likely not exist; patients would be cared for wherever they chose, and the providers of care would get equal reimbursement regardless of whom they treat. Texas despite the hard work of Texas CNA/ NNOC registered nurses this year to pass HB 1489, the safe staffing ratio bill, the legislation got stuck in committee. The Legislature conceded to the Texas Hospital Association (THA) and instead passed its spoiler bill that calls for hospitals to form "staffing committees." Texas RNs were able to make one positive amendment to the THA bill by successfully lobbying to increase the required representation of staff RNs on these committees from 50 to 60 percent. RNs were also able to protect patient care in Texas by defeating bills that would have allowed online distance learning schools to set lower nursing education standards in Texas. —staff report REGISTERED NURSE 9

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