Senate Health Committee Chair Announces Effort to Expand NP Ability to Provide Care
With the re-election of President Obama in November and the ruling by the Supreme Court last summer, implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is certain to be a hot topic in legislative houses across the nation next year. In California, Senator Ed Hernandez will be leading the charge.
Dr. Hernandez, a licensed optometrist and Chair of the Senate Committee on Health, has long been focused on workforce issues related to the delivery of health care, particularly with regard to the increased demand for providers that the ACA will bring. On Dec. 5, Hernandez convened a meeting with representatives of the California Association for Nurse Practitioners – as well as other professional organizations representing physician assistants, pharmacists and optometrists – to discuss his plans to expand the ability of nurse practitioners and other non-physicians to provide greater access to care for the newly insured.
“Fortunately, we’re going to have the Affordable Care Act implemented in 2014, but unfortunately, we’re not going to have enough workforce to address it in 2014,” Hernandez told a reporter from Sacramento-based Capital Public Radio following the meeting.
During the meeting, Hernandez discussed his intention to introduce a package of two-year bills to utilize existing health care providers more efficiently and remove barriers to their abilities to provide quality care. The two-year approach acknowledges the need to not only bring lawmakers up to speed on the issues (given that nearly one-third of the state’s legislators will be new to the job in 2013), but also to mobilize supporters in the face of expected opposition from other provider organizations.
This won’t be the first time Hernandez has gone to bat for NPs. His Senate Bill 1524, passed by the legislature and signed by the governor earlier this year, removes the antiquated requirement that NPs have six months of physician-supervised furnishing experience prior to receiving a furnishing number from the Board of Registered Nursing. The requirement had proven to be an obstacle to employment not only for newly-graduated NPs, but also those who come to California with years of experience in other states. The new law takes effect January 1, 2013.
CANP members were instrumental in moving that bill through the legislative process. Nearly 200 members participated in an online advocacy campaign urging members of the Assembly and Senate to vote for the measure. The bill subsequently passed the Assembly 71-5, and cleared the Senate by a 36-0 vote. A followup campaign urging the governor to sign the bill generated more than 400 messages from CANP members.
“We couldn’t be more proud that CANP members really stepped up in support of SB 1524,” said CANP President Beth Haney. “The engagement of our members will be every bit as vital in this effort to modernize the NP practice in California.”
In conjunction with the introduction of bills, Hernandez plans an informational hearing of the Senate Health Committee in January to discuss the bill package to be proposed. CANP is in regular discussion with Senator Hernandez about his effort. Watch for more updates and ways you can help support these bills over the next few months.