Thomas Daschle: “today I am introducing the Medicaid Nursing Incentive Act, a bill to provide direct Medicaid reimbursement for nurse…”

“today I am introducing the Medicaid Nursing Incentive Act, a bill to provide direct Medicaid reimbursement for nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists. This legislation eliminates a counterproductive Medicaid payment policy. Under current law, State Medicaid programs may exclude certified nurse practitioners and clinical nurse specialists from Medicaid reimbursement, even though these practitioners are fully trained to provide many of the same services as those provided by primary care physicians. This policy is both discriminatory and shortsighted; it severs a critical access link for Medicaid beneficiaries. The ultimate goal of this proposal is to enhance the availability of cost-effective primary care to our nation's most vulnerable citizens. Studies have documented the fact that millions of Americans each year go without the health care services they need, because physicians simply are not available to care for them. This problem plagues rural and urban areas alike, in parts of the country as diverse as south central Los Angeles and Lemmon, South Dakota. Medicaid beneficiaries are particularly vulnerable, since in recent years an increasing number of health professionals have chosen not to care for them or have been unwilling to locate in the inner-city and rural communities where many beneficiaries live.”