Measure on the ballot in the 2018 Massachusetts 2018 General Election in Massachusetts.
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.
Get StartedA “yes” vote encourages hospitals to limit the number of patients assigned to a nurse at a given time, making nurses less overburdened. It also grants hospitals the flexibility to adjust nurses’ patient assignments based on specific patient needs.
A “no” vote does not set a limit on the number of patients a nurse can serve.
There is no law and no limit to guide the number of patients that can be assigned to a nurse at one time., in support of Question 1 (Learn more)
According to Kristin Toussaint of The Metro, more than 75% of Massachusetts nurses believe that registered nurses are assigned too many patients to effectively care for at one time, and 90% say they don’t have enough time to properly care for patients due to unsafe patient assignments., in support of Question 1 (Learn more)
According to Priyanka McCluskey of the Boston Globe, there is already a shortage of qualified nurses in the state, and this measure would require Massachusetts hospitals to hire 5,911 nurses in 37 business days. The costs associated with hiring would trickle down to patients in their insurance premiums., in opposition to Question 1 (Learn more)
According to the Boston Globe, the required nurse-patient ratios would cost hospitals almost $1 billion a year. This would disproportionately hurt already short-staffed and underfunded hospitals, including those in rural areas., in opposition to Question 1 (Learn more)
According to Safe Patient Limits, this measure would address the deteriorating patient care conditions, longer hospital stays, and greater number of readmissions and errors currently facing Massachusetts hospitals., in support of Question 1 (Learn more)
This ballot measure would put a limit on the maximum number of patients assigned to a nurse at one time depending on type of unit and level of care. It would also require facilities to post notices on these patient limits, detailing how to report violations. Failure to comply would result in a fine.
View your personalized ballot, check your voter registration, make a plan to vote, and research every name and measure on the ballot with BallotReady.