ANA Releases Campaign to Push Healthcare Legislation through Before Year End

Sarasota, FL (WorkersCompensation.com) – While most of healthcare is on the same page in supporting Workplace Violence Prevention Health Care and Social Service Workers Act, other proposed legislation has proven to be controversial, creating tension between physicians and nurses. 

Recently, the American Medical Association (AMA) as well as the California Medical Association (CMA) issued formal statements opposing H.R. 8812, the “Improving Care and Access to Nurses Act”. The proposed law looks to expand the scope of practice for Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, resulting in expansion of care for patients. The AMA’s position is that if the law is passed, patients will be put at risk due to exceeding the limits of an APP’s training. 

According to a recent news release from the American Nurses Association (ANA), the organization is urging Congress to pass the Workplace Violence Prevention act and the Care and Access to Nurses Act before the end of the year. According to a report from Healthleaders, the organization has released a write-in campaign to gain traction, and are also pushing to extend the relaxed care access policies initiated during the pandemic through 2024.

In addition to those two bills, the ANA is also calling for support and finalization of three additional pieces of legislation that could potentially have a large impact on healthcare. 

The Improving Access to Workers' Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act, H.R. 6087 is one of the bills that is listed receiving support from the ANA. As in the Access to Nurses Act, the bill looks to expand the role of APPs, allowing them to prescribe and recommend treatment for injured federal workers. Additionally, the bill would allow them to certify the nature of an injury and probable extent of disability, and provide prescribed treatment. With a physician designated by the Department Of Labor, APPs would be able to participate in a mandatory workers' compensation examination of an injured worker.

Another bill receiving support from the ANA is the Restoring Hope for Mental Health and Well-Being Act of 2021, H.R. 7666. In short, the bill looks to streamline mental health treatment, and ultimately could eliminate additional Drug Enforcement paperwork needed by APPs to dispense buprenorphine , which is used to treat Opioid Use Disorder. 

The ANA also showed its support for Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act H.R. 851, S46. Under this legislation, nursing education funding would receive increased funding resulting in increased faculty as well. 

You can read more about the supported legislation on the ANA website. 

Share This Article: