Student's View: Managed Care/Health Care Reform

I am a student in the nursing program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I feel that providing quality and proper care is one of the top priorities in a health care facility, nursing home, etc. As a nursing student, I think that there should be some kind of an incentive to motivate and enhance the skills and techniques of health care givers/workers as they continue to learn and care for patients. The workload of a nursing student is very heavy and extensive, so I think this would help with burnouts and compassion-fatigue, which is something I noticed that has not come up in managed care.

Also, as a student and a patient, I feel that everyone should get equal access to health care when they need it, but they should not abuse the health care system. Managed care seems like a great approach in addressing this issue, and I like the idea of expanding health insurance to other special populations; however, I think that it is vague and unclear to exactly how managed care is going to acquire the equality part of access to health care. I am aware that not everyone is able to have access to health care for various reasons, but at the same time, those that do have access do not always get the quality of care that they need.

I am for universal health care, and I think that managed care will work hand in hand with it. As I think about my future as an employee/patient, I would want to have the freedom to pick and choose the best managed care plan that would work for me and my family. Also, I would want to pay the least amount of money out of pocket for the services that I use and be able to utilize services at my convience. Overall, I think that managed care offers some flexibility, but this could be improved.

Lastly, I have been taught to be active and involved with my own health care decisions, but as a future nurse, I may face certain situations where a patient may not have the ability to do so. I think it would be a great idea to have supportive and effective programs that provide adequate information and tools for patients, family members and staff when facing difficult/ethically challenged health care situations.