Olver Introduces Bill to Expand Health Care Access for Medicaid Beneficiaries

Press Release

OLVER INTRODUCES BILL TO EXPAND HEALTH CARE ACCESS FOR MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES

Today, Congressman John W. Olver (D-MA) introduced bipartisan House legislation with 18 co-sponsors to expand primary care options, and potentially cut Medicaid costs, by improving access to advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) and physician assistants (PAs).

Principal sponsors of the bill are John Olver (D-MA), Steven C. LaTourette (R-OH) and Lois Capps (D-CA).

The Medicaid Advanced Practice Nurse and Physician Assistants Access Act would require states to offer Medicaid coverage for primary care services provided by APRNs, the majority of which are nurse practitioners, and PAs.

"The law should encourage people to seek medical care, not throw up roadblocks," Congressman John Olver said. "The current law does just that. State Medicaid agencies choosing to not reimbursing for the services of nurse practitioners and physicians assistants just doesn't make sense. In areas with a shortage of physicians, such as rural and inner city communities, these medical professionals should be able to provide quality health care that would otherwise be difficult for Medicaid beneficiaries to access."

Currently, state Medicaid plans have the option to deny advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants as primary care case managers. In states that choose not to recognize APRNs and PAs, Medicaid patients lose the option of utilizing these health care providers.

This is a problem because nurse practitioners and physician assistants often serve medically underserved areas where doctors are less accessible. Not offering these providers as an option to Medicaid beneficiaries could cause patients to delay primary care, which often leads to more costly medical complications that could have been prevented.

Requiring Medicaid to cover services provided by nurse practitioners and physician assistants also makes good fiscal sense.

"Not only does this bill provide more options for Medicaid beneficiaries, but it also could provide a savings to Medicaid," Congressman John Olver said. "Reimbursement rates for nurse practitioners and physician assistants are often 10 to 30 percent less than physicians' rates. This could translate into a savings for Medicaid," he added.

"Passage of this legislation would facilitate earlier and less expensive access to high quality care for a large percent of the Medicaid and S-CHIP eligible populations," said Dr. Jan Towers, Director of Health Policy of the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners.

"APRNs increase access to health care and decrease preventable acute care admissions and emergency room visits," stated Rebecca M. Patton, MSN, RN, CNOR, President of the American Nurses Association. "By including the provisions of The Medicaid Advanced Practice Nurses and Physician Assistants Access Act in Medicaid reform, Congress would not only ensure that Medicaid patients receive care in a timely and cost-efficient manner, they would help ease health care shortages in rural and other underserved areas - while also guaranteeing APRNs the adequate reimbursement for high-quality patient care that they deserve."

The bill is endorsed by the American Nurses Association, the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners, the American College of Nurse Practitioners, the Association of Women's Health, Obstetric, and Neonatal Nurses, the National Association of Clinical Nurse Specialists, the American Academy of Physician Assistants and the Oncology Nursing Society.

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