Doctor Shortages, Deadly Nursing Strikes Shows New Law’s Short-Term Results Won’t Be Pretty
By Ken Terry, BNET
Health policy experts and medical societies are concerned about a shortage of primary care physicians, which will be even worse when the Affordable Care Act unleashes an estimated 32 million newly insured patients on the healthcare system. And if you’re wondering what effects that might have on hospitals, a new study of striking hospital nurses suggests that the short-term result won’t be pretty.
The study, led by MIT professor Jonathan Gruber (ironically, a cheerleader for reform), shows that nurse strikes at New York hospitals over 20 years led to an increase in mortality and readmissions. Read More…
