National Nurses Week is a recognition and celebration of the impact nurses have on their patients and their communities. SEIU Local 121RN represents about 8,000 Registered Nurses in 17 hospitals in Southern California and is committed to caring for America and the vision of a strong, unified voice for nurses and quality, affordable healthcare for all.
To learn about the history of National Nurses week, click here.
As nurses, we are caring for America and want to remind everyone during National Nurses Week about the benefits of the Affordable Care Act and the importance of prioritizing high quality, affordable care. Healthcare should not be about politics, it should be about patients. As nurses, we want patients and their families and to make the decisions about their care -- not insurance companies.
“As nurses and healthcare workers, we need to be knowledgeable about the Affordable Care Act so that we can inform our patients and coworkers of the benefits. For example, children can no longer be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions and, starting in August, women will gain coverage for preventive services such as mammograms, pap tests and free contraception.” Gayle Batiste, RN, CNOR, SEIU 121RN President
The Affordable Care Act
The Supreme Court heard arguments in March during hearings on lawsuits filed by Republicans in 26 states who seek to undermine the Affordable Care Act. A ruling is expected in June.
In just two years, nurses have witnessed how the law is improving care and improving our patients’ lives. If the law is weakened or overturned, our jobs become harder and our patients’ health is jeopardized. We would be back to where we started with insurance companies calling the shots.
There’s too much at stake to allow the benefits of the law to be taken away, including:
- Requiring insurance companies to cover people with pre-existing conditions.
- Ensuring young adults up to age 26 can gain coverage through their parent’s plans.
- Making preventive care free and eliminating co-pays for essential healthcare such as check-ups, cancer screenings and contraception.
- Cracking down on waste, fraud and abuse in Medicare and delivering prescription drug savings to seniors.
- Stopping unjustified premium hikes by insurance companies.
The healthcare law works, and this Nurses Week, we are protecting the care of every patient from the political games taking place in Washington, DC.
To learn more about what SEIU nurses nationwide are doing to protect healthcare, go to www.seiu.org/nurses.
Click here to view and/or print a Nurses Week flyer you can share with your friends and co-workers.