MaggyC says ...

Has anyone ever wondered why the 1 million plus nurses in America can't form their own "group" and offer affordable health insurance for nurses?  I have been in nursing for a long, long time.  It has been my experience over the years that many nurses are single parents, are the breadwinners in the family or are divorced.  For one reason or another, usually having to do with conditions, hours or pay, many have hopped around from job to job over the years and therefore cannot look forward to company sponsored retirement health benefits ( not many people can these days).  I would think, though, that with so many nurses out there that we, the profession at the forefront of health care, should be able to come up with a group plan to benefit all nurses whether they work part time, full time or who are near retirement age but who can't afford to do so because of a lack of health benefits.   When I get mailings from NSO to renew liability insurance or advertising for life insurance or car insurance, I always wonder why there is nothing for health insurance.  I wrote via email to the ANA a while back asking about why nurses couldn't get something going and I never received a response.  Has anyone out there ever thought about this??

    Yes,Maggy,what a timely topic-I have as ironically I am employed in healthcare FT but do not have decent coverage thru my agency.I am particularly concerned as I am about to take out a substancial mortgage myself,my closing is nxt wk(!)

  I called up a local nurses union here in Maine & guess WHO (multiple parties:hint,insurence,Hospital assoc.,etc)they candidly said when I persisted with questions prohibits me from joining to acquire insurence thru them? This is infuriating to me

  I think it's time to start a group with buying power for health insurence or demend this option of groups like NLN or our local Board of Nursing/a Nat'l health insurence group could be formed with buying power...

  I am ready to explore remedying this ironic healthcare cunundrum!Is anybody else??

-Sarah,Maine