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Concerns over healthcare reform (HCR) and lowering the cost of health care are uppermost on the minds of Americans. They will play a major role in influencing the outcome of the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Nurses can anticipate questions from patients and the public who will want to know what nurses think about HCR. Due to the public's trust and positive perceptions of nurses, when asked about HCR proposals, it matters what nurses say and how they say it.
Based on media coverage and public opinion polling, healthcare reform (HCR) is at the top of the public's list of most pressing problems for presidential candidates to address (Pew Research Center, 2019). In particular, decreasing the cost of health care is foremost in driving the public's support for HCR. At the time of this writing, the leading HCR proposals include Medicare for All, adopting a single-payer system, emphasizing market forces, and improving the Accountable Care Act (ACA).
Because public opinion polling also shows the public consistently trusts nurses more than any other profession (Brenan, 2019), nurses can expect people will want to know what they think about HCR and will value nurses' opinions. Consequently, as the presidential election draws nearer, it is important for nurses to be knowledgeable about the leading HCR proposals. There are more than enough television talking heads commenting about HCR who, all too often, inject their personal views and partisan bias, which contributes to misrepresentation and confusion over the most crucial issue facing the country. By learning about the leading HCR proposals, nurses will be prepared to answer questions objectively and provide balanced appraisals of each proposal's strengths and limitations.
Another reason for nurses to learn about HCR proposals is that, as citizens and as voters, it is desirable to be informed about how candidates would achieve HCR. And, knowing more about HCR proposals may even stimulate some nurses to get involved in supporting a candidate's election or become active in state elections or local healthcare initiatives. Finally, as both consumers and providers of health care, nurses will be directly impacted by HCR. The ways they will be affected will depend, of course, on the particular HCR proposal that is implemented. Understanding the various plans helps clarify the benefits and potential...