This is a blow to the health care reform bill:

National Nurses United, the nation’s largest registered nurses union and professional organization, declared on Tuesday that the Senate health care bill gives away too much to insurance companies and “fails to meet the test of true health care reform.”

“It is tragic to see the promise from Washington this year for genuine, comprehensive reform ground down to a seriously flawed bill that could actually exacerbate the health care crisis and financial insecurity for American families, and that cedes far too much additional power to the tyranny of a callous insurance industry,” said co-president Karen Higgins in a statement.

“Sadly, we have ended up with legislation that fails to meet the test of true health care reform, guaranteeing high quality, cost effective care for all Americans, and instead are further locking into place a system that entrenches the chokehold of the profit-making insurance giants on our health. If this bill passes, the industry will become more powerful and could be beyond the reach of reform for generations,” she added.

The group argued that the bill does not do enough to control prices considering it would force all Americans to buy insurance. They say many of the same flaws are in the House bill, and they don’t expect the legislation to be improved in conference committee.

(emphasis added)

To the people out there going “fix it later”, this statement brings up exactly what I have been arguing – fixing it later will be much tougher than doing it now.

Some will also bring up the fact that the AMA endorsed the Senate bill yesterday, but when it comes to dealing with the workings of insurance companies and how they affect care, I believe the nurses have the upper hand. They are the ones who have to sit on the phone arguing with some “medicine by spreadsheet” rep from the insurance company. They know how that translates into costs and a lack of care for you and me.