Nurses Association Rejects Insurance-Based Healthcare Reform

The California Nurses Association issued a press release on Wednesday calling for the California legislature to reject healthcare reform which is based on continued involvement of health insurance. It also issued a related press release earlier in the month regarding universal healthcare in Canada and other countries.

The association's president stated that a "comprehensive overhaul" of the current healthcare system is necessary, and voiced support for a bill which would establish universal healthcare in California. She called the present bill lawmakers are considering to pass "deceptive" and a "windfall" for health insurance businesses. The press release also indicated that she referred to insurance companies as being the source of the problem, rather than providing a solution, citing Michael Moore's recent movie "Sicko" regarding the U.S. healthcare system.

Earlier in the month, the California Nurses Association issued another press release which criticized the U.S. media and others for spreading claims regarding "long waiting times" for healthcare in countries with universal healthcare systems. It referred to a Commonwealth Fund study which indicated that the U.S. had longer waiting periods than Britain, Australia, Germany, or New Zealand. The press release also indicated that data regarding Canada reported by the American media is often outdated or misleading.

It has long been disputed whether countries with universal healthcare, like Canada, Costa Rica, Sweden, Cuba, and others have a preferable system to that of the United States. Based upon CIA World Factbook statistics, Canada has an infant mortality rate of 4.63, while it is slightly worse (6.37) in the U.S. Cuba's rate is 6.04, and Sweden's 2.76. As for life expectancy, the CIA World Factbook indicates that Canada's is 80.34, the U.S. 78, Costa Rica 77.21, and Cuba slightly less at 77.08. Regardless of which system is preferable, the U.S., Canada, and Cuba all have substantially higher life expectancies than many other countries in the region, such as Honduras (69.35), Columbia (72.27), the Dominican Republic (73.07), and Grenada (65.21).

According to the California Nurses Association website, their organization was founded in 1903 and has more than seventy-five thousand members. It has a national branch called the National Nurses Organizing Committee, and refers to itself as a "leading national advocate" for the implementation of a universal healthcare system. The organization is based in the city of Oakland, California.

Sources

1. California Nurses Assocation,
http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/press-releases/2007/july/page.jsp?itemID=31074473
http://www.calnurses.org/media-center/press-releases/2007/july/page.jsp?itemID=31012272
http://www.calnurses.org/about-us/
2. CIA World Factbook,
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2091.html
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/fields/2102.html