Lawmaker: Obamacare to create bigger demand for Pinoy healthcare professionals
Obamacare, or the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of the US, will stimulate the demand for more nurses and in America that would possibly benefit Filipinos, a Philippine lawmaker said on Saturday.
In a statement, Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo said that the US Supreme Court's ruling allowing the government to give tax subsidies for the healthcare of poor and middle-class Americans will create new demands for healthcare services.
He said that providing US citizens with greater access to healthcare could also mean new demands for "Filipino nurses, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists, speech pathologists, and other health care workers."
“A greater number of Americans will now have access to health care, especially hospitalization... Simply put, the US hospital industry is bound to boom, and so will their demand for foreign staff,” he said.
Moreover, he said US health insurance companies may also expand their business process outsourcing (BPO) in the Philippines due to higher operating costs in their homeland.
“They will be compelled to transfer more contact center, insurance claims processing, clinical support analysis, medical coding, and other non-core, business support jobs to the Philippines,” he said.
37.5% more US NCLEX-takers in 2015
In a separate statement on Friday, Cebu Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. said there were 37.5 percent more first-time US National Licensure Examination (NCLEX) takers in the first half of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.
Gullas considers the number of first-time NCLEX-takers a reliable indicator for the number of nurses who are trying to find employment in the US, but said they may look for employment in other countries.
"There’s still sizeable foreign demand for Filipino nurses in Northern Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere,” he said.
Gullas' statement indicated that a total of 158,551 Filipino nurses have taken the NCLEX for the first time since 1995. This number is expected to increase in 2015.
On the other hand, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has issued licenses to 15,292 new nurses in 2015, excluding the 9,707 May licensure exam passers.
A total of 22,202 nurses received their licenses from the PRC in 2014 alone. — Rie Takumi/LBG, GMA News
In a statement, Pasig City Rep. Roman Romulo said that the US Supreme Court's ruling allowing the government to give tax subsidies for the healthcare of poor and middle-class Americans will create new demands for healthcare services.
He said that providing US citizens with greater access to healthcare could also mean new demands for "Filipino nurses, physical and occupational therapists, pharmacists, speech pathologists, and other health care workers."
“A greater number of Americans will now have access to health care, especially hospitalization... Simply put, the US hospital industry is bound to boom, and so will their demand for foreign staff,” he said.
Moreover, he said US health insurance companies may also expand their business process outsourcing (BPO) in the Philippines due to higher operating costs in their homeland.
“They will be compelled to transfer more contact center, insurance claims processing, clinical support analysis, medical coding, and other non-core, business support jobs to the Philippines,” he said.
37.5% more US NCLEX-takers in 2015
In a separate statement on Friday, Cebu Rep. Gerald Anthony Gullas Jr. said there were 37.5 percent more first-time US National Licensure Examination (NCLEX) takers in the first half of 2015 compared to the same period in 2014.
Gullas considers the number of first-time NCLEX-takers a reliable indicator for the number of nurses who are trying to find employment in the US, but said they may look for employment in other countries.
"There’s still sizeable foreign demand for Filipino nurses in Northern Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere,” he said.
Gullas' statement indicated that a total of 158,551 Filipino nurses have taken the NCLEX for the first time since 1995. This number is expected to increase in 2015.
On the other hand, the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has issued licenses to 15,292 new nurses in 2015, excluding the 9,707 May licensure exam passers.
A total of 22,202 nurses received their licenses from the PRC in 2014 alone. — Rie Takumi/LBG, GMA News
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