Comment 1
The PPACA was aimed to improve the health care system, offering affordable health insurance to more Americans, expand the Medicaid program to cover all adults that live below the poverty level, and to support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally (Lampert, 2009). The PPACA mandates that everyone that is legal will have health coverage in the United States or a penalty will have to be paid at the end of the year. With the influx of people now receiving healthcare, they will be seeking medical attention where in the past they would not. The increase in people seeking medical attention will result in a needed increase in nurses to take care of these patients and more training to gain more expertise and skills to be able to manage the emerging needs and diseases.
A key nursing provision is the health care workforce loan repayment program (Section 5203). This section focuses more on children. It has a focus on pediatric medical or surgical and children
mental and behavioral health care. The repayment program will offer psychiatric nurses, social workers, and professional/school counselors up $35,000 a year in loan repayments for their participation in an accredited pediatric specialty residency program. A second key provision is public health workforce recruitment and retention programs (Section 5204). This provision is aimed at eliminating the shortage of public health agencies. This provision has offered a one third repayment of loans for an exchange of a contract of employment acceptance with a public health agency for three years. This program is offered to eligible public health or health professions.
I know my nursing career will be affected by the provisions that were listed above along with all the other provisions listed in the PPACA. Offering loan repayments will give nurses the incentive to obtain higher degrees. Recruitment and retention would likely decrease the nurse shortage by new nurses coming in and showing loyalty to the season nurses.