Opposition strengthens to nurse staffing ballot question
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Milford Regional Medical Center's administration is opposed to Question 1, which would mandate certain nurse-to-patient staffing ratios. Nurses themselves have been found in polls to be more evenly split.
A week before the Nov. 6 elections, opposition to Question 1 appears to be strengthening as more Massachusetts voters say they're against mandated nurse-to-patient ratios.
Just under 59 percent of likely Massachusetts voters said they'll vote no, according to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released Monday. Another 32 percent said they'll vote yes.
As for factors in reaching that decision — whether yes or no — 40 percent said they considered input from nurses they know, making that by far the biggest factor. Others said they considered TV ads and arguments from nurses unions and hospital associations.
A Massachusetts Health Policy Commission report released in early October could have played a role in the apparent change in opinion from voters. HPC released a nonpartisan report on the issue Oct. 3, estimating costs for hospitals and other facilities would rise by up to $949 million a year.
The commission said new standards would force hospitals to increase staffing by 2,286 to 3,101 additional full-time equivalent registered nurses.
Savings would be realized through reduced hospital stays, the commission said. But those possible savings, roughly $34 million to $47 million, would be far more than offset by higher costs. An estimated $676 million to $949 million in additional annual costs are likely conservative, the commission said, because of a lack of detailed staffing data for some units, including emergency and outpatient departments.
Support for Question 1 has lessened as the Nov. 6 election draws closer.
A UMass Lowell poll released Oct. 10, just days after the report's release, found 51 percent of likely voters oppose the mandate, and 43 percent support it. That's compared to a September poll finding 52 percent in support.
Also before that report's release, a Suffolk University Political Research Center/Boston Globe poll showed 52 percent of respondents in favor, and 33 percent opposed. Another poll, by WBUR, found 44 percent both for and against the staffing question.
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