[ThJ1800]

Good question. Another point. If hospitals must have a particular nurse to patient ratio, then they will have to hire more nurses, which in turn will increase the cost of health care for individuals, thereby requiring the state to provide more assistance to these individuals. Or else, they'll just take over the health system.

[Whey]

I worked at a University Hospital in Dallas. That hospital closed an entire floor and told the specialized nurses that they employed to find another area or leave. Most left. These nurses had YEARS of experience. One month later the floor was "re-opened" and staffed with new graduates. The most dangerous thing a nurse can get is experience. When you work hard, make the cut, you get laid off so the hospital can hire new grads making much less than an RN with years of experience.