One Way a Trump Win Would Affect Nurse Practitioners

Whether you think it’s time for the American people to deliver Trump his signature “You’re Fired” line when it comes to his presidential candidacy or not, you have to admit, his preliminary run for the White House is entertaining. Love for the spectacle even crosses party lines. Mention of a Trump presidential run cracks some sort of a smile on the faces of most Democrats and Republicans alike. It even proves to be a pretty safe conversation starter at cocktail parties. So, I couldn’t resist jumping on the Trump-hype bandwagon today as well.

Taking a closer look at the real-estate tycoon turned reality TV star turned political candidate’s past reveals a mixed bag of views on the our country’s most pressing political agendas. True to form, one hot-button topic Trump doesn’t hesitate to comment on is healthcare. When it comes to healthcare delivery, Trump crosses party lines taking a pretty liberal stance.

Donald Trump supports a “healthcare for everybody” platform. He has said that while he believes Obamacare to be “a disaster”, he is a proponent of a universal healthcare system. In his book, ‘The America We Deserve’, Trump calls for “well-administered” healthcare reform with an Obamacare-like “market-based” plan. Unlike Obamacare, he proposes that control of such market-based health plan be returned to states to operate under free-market principles. This move, he believes, would help break up insurance company monopolies.

Regardless of your opinions of comb-overs (embrace the baldness!), Trump’s pompous personality, or simply his political leanings, it’s time to start taking a glance at the platforms of 2016 presidential nominees. How would a Donald Trump trip to the White House affect nurse practitioners?

One way a Trump win would affect nurse practitioners is to give a boost to the NP job market. Universal health coverage increases the number of patients in an already strapped primary care system furthering the demand for primary care providers. Enter nurse practitioners. With an efficient educational path and a foundation rooted in caring for underserved populations, stepping up to fill gaps in care is right up nurse practitioners’ alley. A largely government subsidized, universal healthcare system would also benefit from the lower cost of care nurse practitioners provide further driving up demand. 

Decreasing reimbursement rates and increased government involvement in healthcare have many MDs making an early exit from medical practice. Progress toward a single-payer healthcare system under a Trump presidency would serve to continue the trend, making even more room for nurse practitioners in patient care.

Agree or disagree with The Donald’s political leanings (or even if you think he’s just plain crazy), a closer look at his take on healthcare would mean favorable trends in the job market for nurse practitioners…although I wouldn’t stake your NP program tuition on a Trump victory.

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