Health Care Reform Health care reform has been debated throughout history and continues to be a debate today. An early health care plan was supported by Theodore Roosevelt in 1910. He campaigned on the promise of a national health care system, but was defeated. Harry Truman proposed it thirty years later, but the project was vigorously opposed by the American Medical Association (AMA) as socialized medicine (Palmer, 2010). As a Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) who has been in practice for over a year, an Advanced Nurse with a Master of Science in Administration for ten years, a Military Nurse Leader for twenty years, and a Home Health and Critical Care Nurse for over twenty to five years, I have recognized that we need to rethink the direction of health care. Without health care reform, the number of uninsured people is expected to reach 54 million in 2019, according to trends from Deutsche Bank Research (2010). This increase in uninsured patients will strain emergency rooms because many uninsured patients use them as primary care, increasing health care costs and providing poor follow-up care for the patient. The passage of the Affordable Health Care Act on March 23, 2010 places nurse practitioners (NPs) at the forefront of health care reform, with the opportunity to be creative and innovative. I view primary care, preventive care, case management, nurse leaders, and educators as essential elements of health care reform. The health care reform bill includes grant provisions for advanced practice, general nurse education and innovative nurse-run health clinics. This incentive for nurse practitioners is timely as the role of advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) continues to evolve. This is a wonderful opportunity because I ...... middle of article ......ank Research (2010). Coverage and cost. Healthcare reform in the United States in perspective. Retrieved from http://www.dbresearch.comHuang, E., Basu, A., O'Grady, M., & Capretta, J. (2009). Projecting the Future Size of the Diabetes Population and Associated Costs for Diabetes Care in the United States, 32(12). Martin, A. (2010). The Growing Role of Nurse Practitioners in Your Health Care: Primary Care Physician Shortage and Health Reform Drive NP Growth. Retrieved from http://www.marketwatch.comNational Organization for Nurse Practitioner Colleges. (2006). Doctor of Practice Resource Center. Retrieved from http://www.nonpf.com/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=14Palmer, K. (2010). A Brief History: Universal Health Care Efforts in the United States. Physicians for a National Health Program. Retrieved from http://www.pnhp.org/facts/a_brief_history_universal_health_care_efforts_in_the_us.php?page=all