News and Commentary
Andrew Yang wants to take a page from Arizona and Pennsylvania by increasing the probability of occupational licensing through broader recognition of out-of-state licenses. While he’s not taking an aggressive stance against the institution of licensing, he’s embracing a common-sense reform that has been embraced by both Democrats and Republicans.
As the anti-vaccination movement goes from a fringe group of crackpots to a serious public health concern, this Washington Post article reports that many nurses, who have much more face-to-face interactions with patients, are now counseling doctors on how to combat misguided concerns by patients.
Good news from the Ocean State! A law just signed by Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo would allow physician assistants to practice without a supervision requirement. Though the law does allow for “collaborative” arrangements between MDs and PAs, the law also eliminates provisions of previous law that made PAs “agents” of physicians, which reduces the liability of the physicians in the event of malpractice on the part of the PAs.
A federal judge has ruled against certified health coach Heather Del Castillo, a diet and health adviser, who was fined for working in a profession that was perfectly legal in California without a dietician or nutritionist’s license from the Sunshine State.
North Dakota State University’s Nursing School has received a $1.5 million dollar HHS grant for an NP fellowship/residency program for NPs that will work in rural areas.
Andrew Wimer of the Institute for Justice writes about how not allowing doctors to both prescribe and dispense medications represents an unnecessary hurdle for access to quality healthcare. “A review by the Annals of Internal Medicine found that up to 30% of prescriptions are never filed. Not taking prescribed medications contributes to 125,000 deaths a year and costs the American health system nearly $300 billion annually,” writes Wilmer. Texas, one of the five states that does not allow MDs to prescribe and dispense medications, provides an exemption for doctors practicing in areas far away from pharmacies. This is a reasonable exemption that at the same time reveals the nature of these regulations: such rules are protectionism for pharmacies.
Davis Warnell, Eddie Stamper, and Andrea O’Sullivan of the Mercatus Center have an excellent piece on how licensing laws, in particular, their lack of mobility, disproportionately harm military spouses.
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