An interesting outcome of the current economic recession is the temporary alleviation of our nationwide nursing shortage. For much of the past decade the nursing shortage has increased to the point where hospitals have offered extra incentives to attract nursing staff. In some regions nurses can make as much as physicians. But now, some are delaying retirement due to economic concerns and are temporarily bolstering the number of available nurses. It is likely, however, that once the economy rebounds, the nursing shortage will once again become apparent, perhaps even worsen.
Posts Tagged ‘recession’
February 26, 2009
Many More Expected To Lose Health Insurance In US »
A new report from the Institute of Medicine finds that more US residents will lose their health insurance as the economy continues to weaken and health care costs continue to rise. Many companies have begun to replace full-time positions with part-time, contract and temporary positions that do not include health insurance. The report also found that increased health insurance premiums have prompted more employees to seek out alternative options outside of plans offered by companies. According to the report, the average annual employee premium contribution for family health insurance coverage increased from $1,543 to $3,354 between 1999 and 2008.


Dr. Steven Chang, the author of DailyDose, is a staff physician with Kosmix RightHealth. Dr. Chang practices Family Medicine at the University of California Davis Medical Center, where his medical interests include both pediatric and geriatric care, public health, gay and lesbian health, and sleep medicine. Dr. Chang trained at the Stanford University affiliated O'Connor Hospital, and was a research fellow at the National Institute of Health. He holds an M.D. from McGill University and a BA in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University.