Nursing the Nation is a podcast where we dissect today's headlines through the uniquely insightful lens of the nurse. Join hosts, Jamie & Melissa Anne, as they use their nursing expertise to navigate the complexities of national events, offering perspectives rooted in holism, advocacy, and nursing science. Beyond the medical jargon and political noise, they’ll explore the human element of current affairs, providing a grounded and compassionate understanding of the issues that impact us all. Because when it comes to understanding the pulse of our society, who better to ask than the most trusted profession?
S2.E20 The One Big Beautiful Healthcare Series, Part 4: I Have Private Insurance, so why should I care?
Have insurance through work, or Medicare? The One Big Beautiful Bill Act still reaches you.
In Part 4 of our OBBBA series, Jamie and Melissa Anne explain why you don't need a Medicaid card to depend on Medicaid. We cover CBO's projection of 10 million more uninsured by 2034, what expiring marketplace tax credits did to premiums and enrollment in 2026, and why insurers like Aetna and Cigna are leaving the marketplace.
Then we follow the money to places you know: the nursing home where Medicaid pays for 63% of residents, the end of the federal 24/7 registered nurse requirement, the school nurse and counselor your kids rely on, and health care jobs in your community. You will learn through the nurse's lens how these changes impact us all.
Head over to our Substack (nursingthenation.substack.com) to join the conversation.
The views and opinions expressed on Nursing the Nation are our own and do not represent those of our employers, academic institutions, or any organization we're affiliated with.
20 Oct 2026
S2.E19. Trusted, but Not Asked: Nurses, Writing, and the Missing Voice in Media & Health Policy
Nurses are the most trusted profession in America, so why are we so rarely the ones quoted on health? This week Nursing the Nation floats to a different unit: Jamie sits down with nurse editor Leslie H. Nicoll, PhD, MBA, RN, FAAN, founder of Writer's Camp Journal.
Dr. Nicoll has spent five decades helping nurses get what they know into print. She explains why even top nursing journal articles draw only about 28% of their citations from nursing sources, and why public trust in nurses hasn't turned into public authority. Studies of health news found nurses quoted in about 4% of stories in 1997, and 2% twenty years later.
Writer's Camp is free to join and open to anyone who wants to write well: writers-camp.org
We will return to our "home unit" next week and resume our Big Beautiful Healthcare series.
13 Oct 2026
S2.E18. The One Big Beautiful Healthcare Series, Part 3: Rural Health Transformation Program
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act cuts an estimated $137 billion in federal Medicaid funding from rural America over ten years. Congress answered with a $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program. Does it close the gap?
In Part 3 of our OBBBA series, Jamie Bourgeois (MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, CNM) and Melissa Anne DuBois (PhD, RN) break down how the program works, why an "equal" split leaves a Texas resident with about $66 and a Rhode Island resident with over $6,000, and why the rules limit what struggling hospitals can spend on.
We look at who gets hit hardest: pregnant people facing longer drives as birthing units close, and people with mental illness and substance use disorders facing new work requirements and a narrower exemption. We cover what supporters and critics say, where nursing organizations stand, and our nursing take on why a one-time grant can't replace coverage.
Full show notes and sources: nursingthenation.substack.com
The views and opinions expressed on Nursing the Nation are our own and do not represent those of our employers, academic institutions, or any organization we're affiliated with.
Episode cover art created with Adobe Firefly and Canva.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
YouTube views
22
Score snapshot 15 Sept 2025
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
6 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
2 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 50 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
62
Social presence
0
YouTube
63
Engagement
32
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Questions about Nursing the Nation
Who hosts Nursing the Nation?
Jamie and Melissa Anne host the show. Published by Jamie Bourgeois & Melissa Anne Dubois.
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The show publishes weekly, based on its RSS feed.
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