State lawmakers are pushing reforms to expand health care supplies.
Lawmakers in the most economically successful states are finding that their rapidly growing populations mean they need to increase the supply of doctors, nurses, dentists, hygienists and other health care professionals. Reforms currently under consideration in Florida and North Carolina, two of the nation’s fastest-growing states, show how lawmakers are trying to increase the supply of health care in their states by reducing regulatory obstacles.
In North Carolina, which had the third-highest nominal population growth rate in the nation last year, Rep. Erin Pare recently said: House Bill 1056A bill aimed at increasing the supply of certain health care providers, HB 1056 would make North Carolina a member of the Interstate Compact for Physician Assistants. If Rep. Pare’s proposal becomes law, physician assistants licensed in a compact state would be able to immediately begin work in North Carolina without having to go through the red tape of state licensure.
“Physician assistants are qualified and capable to meet the demands of healthcare,” Pare said in a statement, adding that she was “very pleased to lead this commonsense bill.” 12 states Legislation has been enacted to join the Pennsylvania Licensure Compact. Two states bordering North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia, are already part of the compact. Pennsylvania Licensure Compact website advertise Please note that joining the agreement offers the following benefits:
- It makes it easier to practice in multiple states by reducing the burden of maintaining multiple licenses.
- Expand employment opportunities to new markets.
- Improve continuity of care if patients or providers relocate.
- Assisting military spouses in relocating.
Interstate compacts have proven to be a popular and effective mechanism for increasing worker mobility and reducing regulatory barriers to employment in many other licensed sectors. according to According to the National Interstate Compact Center (NCIC), “299 separate licensing compact bills have been passed by states.”
“To date, all 50 states (and U.S. territories and the District of Columbia) have enacted at least one occupational licensure compact,” NCIC adds, “and currently, 17 occupational licensure compacts are available for enactment.
North Carolina is not the only state still pending legislation aimed at reducing health care costs due to a growing number of health care workers. In Florida, which had the highest population growth rate in the country last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) recently introduced a bill that would allow out-of-state professional licenses. The bill would: SB1600If the bill introduced by Senator Jay Collins (R-Ill.) becomes law, Florida would become the latest state to enact a Universal License Accommodation (ULR) law.
It’s no exaggeration to say that ULR laws, which allow states to grant out-of-state occupational licensure to new residents, are one of the most popular policy innovations of this century. First enacted in Arizona by then-Governor Doug Ducey in 2019, the law is now on the books in nearly half of the U.S. states. SB 1600 was sent to the governor on June 17, giving him the option to sign, veto, or allow the bill to take effect without signing it by July 1. If SB 1600 is enacted, Florida, where tremendous growth has meant more need for ULR laws than any other state, would become the latest state to offer universal licensure.
As recent reforms in Florida and North Carolina demonstrate, lawmakers are beginning to realize that eliminating or streamlining regulatory barriers to employment is a more effective approach to addressing workforce shortages than new spending programs. Senator Collins’ efforts in Florida and Representative Pare’s proposal in North Carolina demonstrate that lawmakers are taking action to increase the supply of service providers, especially those critical to our quality of life.
