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NP Advocacy Alert! Opportunities to support proposed legislation - Links for quick access.

Posted 4 months ago

Advocacy action alert

Two more bills have been introduced (see below).  (Abby Parrish, chair of GAPNA Health Affairs committee posted on GAPNA Exchange)

These two pieces of federal legislation moving through Congress with the potential to impact national NP practice and improve access to care for older adults. Both bills are sponsored by bipartisan groups of legislators and are currently in the Senate Finance committee and the House Ways and Means & Energy and Commerce committees. Please consider writing to your legislators about these important pieces of legislation, particularly if they sit on one of the committees currently considering the bills (click committee names to see membership lists)! As either of these come to the floor for a vote, we'll give you a head up here so that we can all write again in support of our profession and patients!

1. ACO Improvement Act (S.3939/H.R.7665) – This bill would fully include nurse practitioners (NPs) and their patients into Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Currently, a patient may select an NP as their MSSP ACO provider; however, that patient cannot be assigned to an NP based on their claims unless the patient sees a primary care physician for one primary care service every two years. This bill would remove that barrier and authorize NP patients to be assigned to the MSSP ACO based on claims.  Read more about this bill here: www.votervoice.net/AANP/1/campaigns/113407/respond

2. The Preserving Access to Home Health Act (S.2137/H.R. 5159) - This bill would safeguard access to essential home-based, clinically advanced healthcare services for America's older adults and people living with disabilities by preventing the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) from implementing cuts. Read more about this bill here: p2a.co/67P5Hn0

Below are other pieces of ongoing legislation (below) summarized on the AANP website.  The summary and links are provided by one of our awesome GAPNA colleague Susan Mullaney.  DNP NP-C GNP-BC GS-C FAAN FAANP, SeniorCare Executive Services, Needham MA. (781)330-9841

  •  H.R. 2713/S. 2418, the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN)
  • H.R. 704/S. 260 Improved Medicare Patient Access to Needed Therapeutic Shoes
  • S. 131/H.R. 618 Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act
  • H.R. 2583/S.3481 Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Care Act of 2023

 Each update includes templated letters for you to send to your legislators. If you have not previously contacted your legislators regarding these bills, please do so now!  It’s EASY!

  • Click the link. Advocacy Center (votervoice.net) 
  • Click each piece of legislation which will bring up a template letter.
  • Edit the template letter IF you want (not required).
  • Hit submit.
  • Repeat for the 4 pieces of legislation.

In addition to legislation impacting NPs there are several bills focused on nursing education which are incredibly important to increase the nursing workforce and ultimately positively impact our patients. As with any piece of legislation it's important for legislators to hear from constituents and you do not need to be an educator to ask for his/her support on these bills. 

The bills below have been highlighted by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and their Voter Voice link is available below.

  •  Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act when it is reintroduced.
  • Educating Future Nurses Act (S.1586/H.R.3623), which helps increase clinical education for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses.
  • Nurse Corps Tax Parity Act (S.1446/H.R.5080), a bipartisan bill to support nurses working in underserved areas.
  • PRECEPT Nurses Act (S.1627), a bipartisan bill to recruit and retain nurse preceptors.
  • Nurse Faculty Shortage Reduction Act (S.2815), to help address the pay gap between clinical and faculty positions.
  • Support Faculty and Expand Access to Nursing School Act of 2023 (H.R.3263), which would provide grants to help recruit and retain nursing faculty and clinical preceptors.
  • Sustain and preserve student loan programs, including through the Expanding Access to Graduate Education Act (H.R.4337), and the POST GRAD Act (H.R.6077).

Please consider leveraging AACN's site and reach out to your legislators regarding these important bills. It’s easy!   Take Action (aacnnursing.org)