Healthcare (Page 2)

On:
In: Activism, Elections, Erin Murphy, Governor, Healthcare, Home, Issues, Labor Unions, Nurses, Unions

By Katie Gjertson

MNA Political Coordinator

 

Minnesota’s Primary Election is right around the corner! Eligible voters from every corner of the state will have their chance to cast their ballot in support of the candidates they believe line up with their values, their issues and their vision for the future of Minnesota. Primary elections are our opportunity, as voters, to shape the ticket to reflect what we want it to be in November. Let’s get out the vote for the 2018 Minnesota primary!

Never voted in a Primary Election before? Here are the top ten things you need to know before you head to the polls.
… Read more about: The Top 10 Things You Need to Know to Be a Primary Voter  »

On:
In: Action, Elections, Governor, Healthcare, Home, Hospitals, Issues, Politics

 

By Jackie O’Shea

MNA Political Organizer

Elections are the root of our democracy, and saying 2018 is going to be a hectic year politically is an understatement. In Minnesota, there are open races for Governor and Lieutenant Governor; statewide races for Attorney General, Auditor, and Secretary of State and a US Senator; eight U.S. Congressional races, and 134 seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives all up for re-election this year. Plus, other important local races, including city council seats, school board commissioners, and county elected positions are up for grabs.

 

Electing nurse champions is the important first step towards the main goal of our political organizing, which is passing legislation.
… Read more about: Holding Our Democracy Accountable  »

On:
In: Activism, Healthcare, Home, Hospitals, Labor Unions, Nurses, Sanford

By Diane Scott, RN

MNA Member

We all know the stories. A mom couldn’t get her son to the right specialist because it was out of the hospital’s “network.” Another mom couldn’t get occupational or physical therapy for her daughter without having to fight like hell to get it. How many times have MNA nurses cried at work and heard the stories of their long fights with their employer because their children could not get the healthcare they deserve? What about the non-contract employees and patients who can’t fight?

On October 24, 2017, MNA decided to fight back. We filed a second step class action grievance on behalf of all Registered Nurses working at Sanford Health of Northern Minnesota Bemidji.
… Read more about: The Union Difference  »

On:
In: Action, Healthcare, Home, Hospitals, Minnesota Nurses Association

By Tara Fugate

MNA Strategic Researcher

A common misconception about nonprofit hospital finance is that, unlike publicly traded corporations, they are not responsible to shareholders or investors. In fact, many hospital expansion and construction projects are funded by investors through the use of municipal bonds. Municipal bonds are not unlike loans from the public. Hospitals work through municipal entities such as cities and counties to issue bonds for public purchase.

A bond is a type of debt investment. This means that an investor or bondholder loans money to an entity (typically corporate or governmental) for a defined period of time at a variable or fixed interest rate.
… Read more about: Municipal Bonds and Nonprofit Hospitals  »

On:
In: Fairview, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Home, Hospitals, Nonprofit, Nurses

By Tara Fugate

MNA Strategic Researcher

 

Something that still manages to shock a lot of people in the US is the growing number of similarities between nonprofits and for-profit hospitals. In 2013, 7 of the 10 most profitable hospitals in the country were classified as nonprofit. A 2013 study published in Health Affairs, examined factors contributing to hospital profitability. The study examined data from Medicare Cost Reports submitted by 2,993 acute care hospitals and produced a list of the top ten hospitals in the country with the highest profit from patient care (for fiscal year 2013).
… Read more about: Your Guide to the World of Nonprofit Finance-part 1  »

On:
In: Allina, Healthcare, Home, Insurance, Jason Lewis, Politics

By Jean Forman, RN

MNA Member

 

I’m a nurse at Abbott Northwestern Hospital. I’m also MNA tri-chair for Abbott and for Phillips Eye Institute. I recently attended a rally at an elected representative’s home to support expanding Medicaid. My journey from a political bystander to an activist has been accelerated by the Allina Metro strike of 2016. I learned so much about how legislation can affect me at my workplace and more significantly how the right legislation can impact the public good. I have been supported at MNA by so many people to get active. So I have tried a few things over the last few years, but I would say the strike and the election last year gave me the impetus to really get out there.
… Read more about: Political Activism and Its Many Forms  »

CentraCare

On:
In: CentraCare, Essentia, Fairview, Healthcare, HMO, Home, Hospitals, Insurance, Issues

By Tara Fugate

MNA Strategic Researcher

Hospital and health system consolidation is a rapidly expanding trend across the country, and Minnesota is no exception. Many large and mid-sized health systems have been looking to privatize the state’s dwindling number of public hospitals, combine smaller non-profit systems, and also incorporate physicians’ groups and outpatient services into hospital systems. The driving arguments to lobby for these mergers are that larger entities can provide more integrated care and have the ability to make bigger financial investments to improve the quality of care via new tools, such as electronic health records systems. Many studies, however, have shown that price, cost and quality of care are not improved by mergers (see below for links).
… Read more about: Why Minnesotans Should Pay Attention to Hospital Consolidation  »

On:
In: Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Home, Issues, Legislative Policy, Single Payer

By Charlotte Zabawa RN

Retired Nurse and MNA Member

I am Charlotte Zabawa, and I am a retired registered nurse and a member of the Minnesota Nurses Association and a member of the SCVWA Indivisible. For many years, I’ve devoted my volunteer time to moving us closer to a humane healthcare system that cares for everyone when they need it, not just when they can afford it. I spent most of my career as a post-partum nurse, and I can tell you how desperately we need to fix our broken healthcare system.
… Read more about: The Time for Humane Healthcare for All is Now  »

On:
In: Healthcare, Home, Insurance, Mayo

 

By Mathew Keller, RN JD
Regulatory and Policy Nursing Specialist

A recent statement by the Mayo Clinic’s CEO John Noseworthy, as reported in the Star Tribune, speaks volumes as to the true status of healthcare in America: those with the money get the care they need, those without, get something else. As Noseworthy put it, “if [a] patient has commercial insurance, or they’re Medicaid or Medicare patients and they’re equal…we prioritize the commercial insured patients enough so … we can be financially strong at the end of the year.”

A Mayo spokesman went on to say, “We can provide the care they require for complex medical issues.
… Read more about: Mayo Clinic’s Sad Statement on Healthcare in America  »

On:
In: Activism, Health Care Reform, Healthcare, Home, Politics, Single Payer

By Rose Roach

MNA Executive Director

 

The Minnesota Nurses Association supports the Minnesota Health Act as proposed by Roseville Senator John Marty and Northfield Representative David Bly (SF 219/HF358). We say loudly and enthusiastically, it’s about time. Finally, we see the proven solution to the healthcare crisis that rages on in this state and in this country.

Nurses don’t care about your insurance card or your credit card—the only card they’re interested in is your get-well card. As natural advocates for their patients and front line workers in the healthcare world, who better to articulate the reality of a system that puts corporate greed over human need?
… Read more about: Nurses Support the Minnesota Health Act  »