I've been a nurse for over a decade, and I'm increasingly convinced that mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios are the only way to ensure patient safety. California implemented them in 2004, and studies show improved outcomes, but hospitals fight them everywhere else, claiming they're too costly. Without a legal ratio, my shifts have hit 10 patients per nurse, and I've seen preventable complications skyrocket. Would you trust a system that lets profit margins dictate how many lives a single nurse can manage?