Despite the debate that still simmers regarding the Affordable Care Act, a couple of factors will escalate the need for temporary healthcare workers over the next decade.

An enormous driver of healthcare expenditures is the aging population. As the graphic below shows, the over-65 population is exploding with no abatement for years to come. Seasonal trends in census behaviors will continue to be erratic with a definite upward moving trend line. Despite the growth in geriatric outpatient options, the admissions will still continue to grow.

Another driver are the Value Based Purchasing Programs. These programs will reward quality outcomes from hospitals, and penalize those that are doing poorly. These programs will have a dramatic impact on the true cost of patient care as staffing ratios will be more closely monitored. The following programs are already in effect.

http://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/readmission-reduction-program.html
http://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/readmission-reduction-program.html
http://www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare/HAC-reduction-program.html