It's National Nurses Week

As Chair of SEIU Healthcare and a physician, I speak from experience when I talk about the value of nurses on the frontlines of care as champions and advocates for patients.

This year the celebration of National Nurses Week is particularly meaningful because we are seeing the positive impact of the Affordable Care Act, which we all fought so hard to pass, and we are also defending women, seniors, children, and people with disabilities from partisan political attacks.

I stood shoulder to shoulder with our nurses celebrating the benefits of the law on the steps of the Supreme Court in Washington, DC as arguments were being heard on challenges to the Affordable Care Act.

Nurses of SEIU locals from Florida to Washington State were there to advocate for their patients and defend this law. They spoke about young patients with pre-existing conditions who now have access to health coverage, young adults up to age 26 who have gained coverage through their parent's plans, preventive services such as well-baby visits, cancer screenings and contraception which are available without cost sharing, and Medicare patients who are finally receiving relief in lowered prescription drug costs.

This law is working and our nurses will continue defending it.

Since its passage, extremist voices have focused on playing politics with the law and scoring political points. The presumptive Republican Presidential Nominee Mitt Romney promises to repeal the healthcare law on his first day in office if he is elected, and Chairman Ryan of the House Budget Committee delivered a budget that gives $4 trillion in tax cuts to corporations while cutting $5 trillion in spending, taking away vital services to women, children, seniors, and people with disabilities. I have heard their grandstanding, but what I haven't heard is their plan to create a healthier country.

What will happen to the 129 million Americans who are routinely denied care by the health insurance industry due to a pre-existing condition? Or how will we cover the more than 32 million Americans who are working, but simply cannot afford the skyrocketing costs of healthcare coverage?

The Nurse Alliance of SEIU Healthcare is 85,000 strong voices who will use this week to educate their fellow nurses, patients and communities about the benefits of the healthcare law and push back on attacks on vital services. Patients in our healthcare system have no better advocates than the nurses who care for them- for this, and many other reasons, join in celebrating National Nurses Week with us.