Nominee number four identifies the toll our healthcare system takes on nurse practitioners (NPs). Earlier this year, I explained how NPs may be the key to more accessible prescribing, and who wants to stop them.

As Senator Irwin describes, the legal burden on NPs is both financial and deeply moral.

Key term: “Scope of practice”

“Scope of practice” is the legal limitation a license places on health professionals.

Regardless of a clinician’s education and training, or a patient’s need and consent, if a service is not in the law for their license, they risk their license to provide it.

What the Nominee didn’t say

Did you notice how Sen. Irwin very quickly mentioned healthcare access to under-served areas, before going on to his main point?

Michigan has created a massive system of incentives and rules to address under-served areas using a central-planning approach. Naturally, it incorporates federal data collection and funding.

Importantly, Michigan’s access plans ignore healthcare freedom. Especially freedoms like broad scope of practice.

I would love to have a formula to determine how much of our healthcare shortage is man-made by putting legal limits on people who want to work in healthcare. Scope of practice limits like these are a great example. A formula would also have to factor in perverse exams, excessive education requirements, and time-consuming computer mandates.

The bill did not pass.

Watch the full bill hearing here.