ER Nurse Gives Insight Into What It Would Look Like If The US Emergency Medical System ‘Collapsed’ If Policies Like Medicare And Medicaid Were Repealed
“Whether you realize it consciously or not, emergency services are something you consider every single day.”
Dragana Gordic | Shutterstock Many Americans seem to be holding their collective breath over the recent presidential election results. Those who did not vote for Donald Trump are anxiously waiting to see what a second term will look like for him and whether he will follow through on promises to cut spending by eliminating certain government programs.
Much of Trump’s economic plan appears to be dependent on trusted advisor and billionaire Elon Musk. Per Vox, Trump said he would give Musk charge over a “government efficiency commission.” Musk said that, as the commission did its work of eliminating unnecessary programs, it would “necessarily involve some temporary hardship.”
When an X user suggested this meant a “severe overreaction in the economy” would take place, Musk agreed with them.
Many have taken this to mean that there will be a period of financial struggle for Americans, all while government programs people rely on are cut.
An ER nurse clarified what repealing Medicaid and Medicare would mean for the healthcare system.
One ER nurse shared their thoughts on Reddit about what the country could come to look like if programs like Medicare and Medicaid were repealed, particularly in an economy where Americans are already hurting.
“When the Affordable Care Act/Medicaid/Medicare are gutted and/or repealed entirely, tens of millions of people (if not more) will lose their ability to access primary and specialty care,” they said.
“Let me outline a scenario for you,” they continued.
The nurse went on to describe what would happen if you had a medical emergency in that climate and called 911. “The ability of that fire/rescue department to continue operating has been jeopardized by the loss of federal funding,” they explained.
They described an emergency room where “the waiting room has spilled out into the parking lot.” Nurses would be in charge of looking after more patients than ever before. They compared the scene to the peak of the COVID pandemic, when hospitals were in complete chaos.
The nurse said that funding would be cut for certain jobs, like that of a case manager. That would mean, hypothetically, if your mom broke her hip and was finally able to get a hospital bed after waiting in the emergency room for hours, a case manager would not be able to help you find a short-term disability or rehabilitation facility for her to go to after her hospital stay. Instead, you would be responsible for her care without any outside help.
Jonathan Borba | Pexels
Elon Musk predicted this period of healthcare instability would last approximately two years.
In the X post from a user known as Fischer King, they said that “history could be made in the coming two years” if Musk’s plans go through.
Musk responded, “Sounds about right,” meaning he agreed that it would take about two years for the economy to get back on track. During this two-year period, Musk plans to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget, HuffPost reported.
The ER nurse acknowledged this and said, “But don’t worry — after all, Elon said, ‘everyone is going to have to hurt for two years.’”
The problem is that this nurse doesn’t think things will get back to normal after two years.
Instead, they see this as doing irreparable damage to the United States healthcare system.
“Well, the ‘two years’ of pain is enough to make American nurses and doctors not want to be nurses or doctors anymore; not in those kinds of conditions,” they wrote.
The “best and brightest” medical minds in the country would likely take their talents to other places in the world, the nurse argued.
“Even if the flip switches magically at the two-year mark, the damage done will last a generation or more,” they said.
Because of this, Americans could be looking at a medical system that will never be the same.
It is a terrifying thought, but one that we must confront head-on as we plan for the future.
Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer for YourTango who covers entertainment, news and human interest topics.