Analysis and discussion of issues that impact business

There's plenty of blame to go around, but here's another reason, according to Reuters why health insurers and health providers keep increasing prices - whether it's true or not.

Nurses backed by the nation's biggest health-care union Tuesday filed four class-action lawsuits against some of the biggest hospitals, including No. 1 chain HCA Inc., claiming they conspired to depress wages for nurses amid a national shortage.

This could be horrendous for our health care system.

There's no question we need more nurses.

Demand for full-time registered nurses exceeds supply by nearly 170,000, according to the hospital association. That shortfall is expected to widen to more than 1 million by 2020, the trade group estimates.

Though the money nurses make is thought to be pretty good by many, it apparently hasn't been getting better quick enough for some.

Wage increases for nurses have been insignificant during the decade-long shortage, experts said. Wages stagnated in 2003 and then fell 6.4 percent in 2004, leading to a decline in nurses working at hospitals, according to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.

My only thought is that many new nurses have entered the profession in the past few years, and they would be entering at entry level wages. Based on an average salary, the numbers could be flawed by that fact. I admit, I don't know that for certain, but I will continue to investigate. Any input from the readers of Analyze This Business would be welcomed.

Information from the Service Employees International Union, which organizes nurses and other health care workers, led to the investigations and the lawsuits.

This has led to counter allegations.

A spokesman for Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA, which runs 180 hospitals and was named in the Texas lawsuit, called the suit frivolous.

“This is one of four frivolous money-wasting lawsuits apparently generated by a union and a law firm designed to create publicity in markets where unions are trying to get membership,” said Jeff Prescott of HCA.

So regardless of where you fall on this issue, it's pretty certain that healthcare costs will continue to rise.

At least you can't blame this one on the drug companies!