Medicare Cuts Will Put Nursing Jobs At Stake

A federal budget deal scheduled to begin taking effect on January 1st will cut Medicare spending by 2%

. This budget cut is a part of the 2011 Budget Control Act that is attempting to reduce government spending by $2.1 trillion over the next ten years. The Medicare cuts are a part of what is called the budget sequester. While this may not seem like a large percentage, the effects would be huge and nursing jobs across the country.

If this mandate takes effect, almost 500,000 jobs in the healthcare field could be lost by next year. California alone is predicted to lose more than 78,000 jobs by 2021. A good 50,000 of all jobs lost would be by physicians, dentists and other practitioner offices. The American Hospital Association in conjunction with the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, report that this sequester is expected to cause as many as 766,000 health care and health-related jobs to become extinct by 2021.

Nursing homes will also be taking a hit. Many states will be facing extremely high Medicare cuts to skilled nursing facilities. Florida will stand to lose $66 million, Ohio will be reduced by $37.3 million, and Pennsylvania could face a $36.9 million decrease.

These cuts are a major threat to the healthcare field. These job losses will obviously affect those involved in direct patient care, but what many dont realize is that all those in support roles will also be facing issues. Less money spent by halt entities will lead to job loss in companies and organizations whose clients are solely health-related.

The president of the American Medical Association, Dr. Jeremy Lazarus, believes that these Medicare cuts will only inject more uncertainty into our Medicare system. These cuts could lead to serious access to care issues for Medicare patients as well. Baby boomers are approaching the age for Medicare and are expected to flood the system. New beneficiaries are already having a difficult time finding a doctor to see them, and these cuts would only make that more difficult. About 50,000 times more difficult.

A quote from the Labor Department shows that the healthcare industry accounted for 1 in every 5 new jobs created this year. Office-based physicians accounted for over 4 million jobs in this country. The world of healthcare is a major economic contribution to this country, and we cant forget that. Congress will most likely re-examine this issue after the November elections, along with a lot of other healthcare related issues, including the plan to make a 27% cut to Medicare physician payments.

The American Hospital Association president, Rich Umbdenstock, believes that instead of slashing Medicare payments, look to find savings through liability insurance reform, think about increasing the age for Medicare liability, and begin to reduce payments to pharmaceutical and medical device companies. People are still fighting to stave off these cuts. Most believe that is is not a good time to start shaving away at healthcare. The job outlook for nursing and healthcare doesnt have to be bleak. We just all need to speak up.

by: nursingjobnews

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