The U.S. presidential election and health care workforce policy.
The candidates for the 2008 presidential election have offered a range of proposals that could bring significant changes in health care. Although few are aimed directly at the nurse and physician workforce, nearly all of the proposals have the potential to affect the health care workforce. Furthermore, the success of the proposed initiatives is dependent on a robust nurse and physician workforce. The purpose of this article is to outline the current needs and challenges for the nurse and physician workforce and highlight how candidates' proposals intersect with the adequacy of the health care workforce. Three general themes are highlighted for their implications on the physician and nurse workforce supply, including (a) expansion of health care coverage, (b) workforce investment, and (c) cost control and quality improvement.
McHugh
Matthew D
MD
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. mchughm@nursing.upenn.edu
Aiken
Linda H
LH
Cooper
Richard A
RA
Miller
Phillip
P
D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003363:Cost Control; D019468:Disease Management; D054242:Emigrants and Immigrants; D005544:Forecasting; D005551:Foreign Professional Personnel / Q000600:supply & distribution; D018166:Health Care Reform / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006291:Health Policy / Q000639:trends; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008503:Medical Staff / Q000600:supply & distribution* / Q000639:trends; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000600:supply & distribution* / Q000639:trends; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011057:Politics; D011322:Primary Prevention / Q000458:organization & administration; D017749:Total Quality Management; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D019472:Universal Health Insurance