NOTES ON NURSING
Study Says NICUs Need Nurses A surprising number of the nation’s neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) have too few nurses, a new study by researchers from the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) has found.
HEALTH CARE
It’s Come to This – A Lottery for Health Care Coverage Tennessee residents who have high medical bills but would not normally qualify for Medicaid, the government health care program for the poor, can call a state phone line and request an application. But the window is tight — the line shuts down after 2,500 calls, typically within an hour — and the demand is so high that it is difficult to get through.
Insurance Exchange Changes the Health Care Game in Minnesota “With the new health insurance exchange, every individual will be part of a larger pool. It’s like having a large employer negotiating on your behalf.”
LABOR UPDATES
How the Collapse of the Senate Has Crippled the NLRB and Damaged Lives The travesty of Cannelton has as much to do with the dysfunction of the U.S. Senate as it does with the slow wheels of justice. The miners have the misfortune of having their case before the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the 78-year-old, independent agency tasked with enforcing labor law on corporations and unions. Despite its reputation for professionalism, the NLRB has come under withering political attacks from the right during the Obama presidency.
Paying a Fair Wage is Good Economics As the cost of goods and services rise, most of our salaries aren’t keeping up. It’s one of the main points driving Minnesota’s current minimum wage debate. To close the wage gap, we need policies that raise the floor on minimum salaries for workers at the pay scale’s bottom. A gradual wage increase, tied to the rate of inflation, could also have a stimulative effect, sending extra dollars back into the local economy and help working people get ahead. Watch the video.