Can Math Solve the Nursing Shortage?

A survey published by UNISON reports that 2/3 of nurses working at the National Health Service in England do not have enough time with their patients.  With half of NHS nurses taking care of 8 patients per day it's clear they are overworked and understaffed.

One nurse commented:

“My department is running at VERY UNSAFE levels due to inadequate staffing.”

The major theme coming out of the survey is that demand for nursing services outstrips the supply of nurses.

In response to this nursing shortage, union boss Gail Adams pleaded:

"The Coalition Government needs to face up to the damage it is inflicting on patients and staff, by not introducing legally enforceable nurse to patient ratios, and take urgent action.”

A legal dictate which increases the nurse to patient ratio would reduce the workload of existing nurses.  But this is a local solution to a global problem.  

Adams is totally ignoring both halves of the real issue which is that supply of nursing services is not keeping pace with patient demand.  Basic math tells us that to create a balance there needs to be an increase in nursing services, a decrease in patient demand or a combination of the two.

My proposal?  Anyone in England who wants to offer nursing services should not be interfered with by the state.  Anyone in England who wishes to contract for nursing services should be free to do so.

Finally, a voluntary-market for healthcare services makes politicians, NHS and taxes redundant.

Is Practicing Medicine a "Right"?

Don Boudreaux has written a great article at Cafe Hayek titled "Who Licenses the Licensers?".  One important quote in the piece:

People are not generally stupid when spending their own money on themselves and their loved ones.

The right to offer medicine and healing services is literally a matter of life and death.  The state simply wants to promote that it is a privilege to practice medicine.

These propagandists are incorrect.  Doctors and nurses don't need to ask an agent of the state for permission to offer healthcare services to consenting adults.  

Medicaid is a Subsidy for the Healthcare Industry

The Weekly Standard published a report from the U.S. Senate Budget Committee about "welfare" recipients.  They wrote:

Food stamps and Medicaid make up a large--and growing--chunk of the more than 100 million recipients. "Among the major means tested welfare programs, since 2000 Medicaid has increased from 34 million people to 54 million in 2011...

But 54 million is a highly misleading figure.  It should be clear that sick people are not the primary benefactors of medicaid.