Ahead of the congressional recess in August, the American Nurses Association has been hard at work advocating for the profession on Capitol Hill.
Here is what you need to know:
The House Appropriations Committee recently advanced its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (LHHS-ED) bill. The bill proposes an $18.343 million decrease in funding to the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Development Programs, elimination of the Nursing Workforce Diversity Program, and the elimination of the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR) as part of a proposed restructuring of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
ANA and its allies in the nursing community continue to urge Congress to appropriate at least $530 million to the Title VIII Programs and at least $210 million to NINR.
In other news, the House Education and Workforce Committee recently advanced the Improving Access to Workers’ Compensation for Injured Federal Workers Act (H.R. 618). The bill would eliminate outdated barriers in the Federal Employees’ Compensation Act (FECA) that limit the ability of nurse practitioners (NPs) to provide care and treatment for injured or ill federal employees. HERE is the letter that ANA submitted to the committee ahead of the markup.
ANA engaged Congress in a variety of other ways throughout the second quarter of 2024:
Establishing Long-Term Care Staffing Standards
ANA recently submitted a letter to House and Senate Leadership that urges Congress to oppose ongoing efforts on Capitol Hill to overturn the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ final rule that would establish safe staffing standards in long-term care facilities. The final rule was issued by CMS in April. The House Ways and Means Committee passed HR 7513 in March to prevent the implementation of the rule, and a pair of resolutions (HJ Res. 139 / SJ Res. 91) were introduced in May that would fast-track the process for overturning the final rule pursuant to the Congressional Review Act.
Improving Access to APRNs
ANA recently sent a letter to the Senate Finance Committee that highlights ways that Congress can ensure Medicare patients’ access to nursing care through Medicare Part B Payment Reform.
ANA recently submitted a letter to Senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Bill Cassidy, MD (R-LA) that highlights how Congress can expand Medicare patients’ access to primary care services provided by APRNs. In the letter, ANA calls on Congress to reform how CMS determines reimbursement rates for APRNs and ensure that nurses have a seat at the table when those decisions are made.
Improving Care and Access to Nurses Act (ICAN) Congressional Briefing
ANA co-hosted a congressional briefing with American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA), the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), and the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) to bring awareness of the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act (H.R. 2713/S. 2418) and its effort to remove regulatory barriers that Medicare patients face when attempting to see advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs).
Minority Fellowship Program Congressional Briefing
ANA participated in a congressional briefing with the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, and the National Board for Certified Counselors to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP). Administered by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the MFP provides training, career development, and mentorship to mental health professionals from minority and ethnic backgrounds who are dedicated to serving patients of color and other marginalized communities.