Healthcare License Turf Wars: The Effects of Expanded Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Scope of Practice on Medicaid Patient Access

19 Pages Posted: 7 Jun 2018

See all articles by Edward Timmons

Edward Timmons

West Virginia University - Department of Economics

Multiple version iconThere are 2 versions of this paper

Date Written: 01/26/2016

Abstract

The provision of health care to low-income Americans remains an ongoing policy challenge. In this paper, I examine how important changes to occupational licensing laws for nurse practitioners and physician assistants have affected cost and access to health care for Medicaid patients. The results suggest that allowing physician assistants to prescribe drugs (including controlled substances) is associated with a substantial (more than 11 percent) reduction in the dollar amount of outpatient claims per Medicaid recipient. I find little evidence that expanded scope of practice has affected proxies for access to care such as total claims and total care days. Relaxing occupational licensing requirements by broadening the scope of practice for healthcare providers may represent a low-cost alternative to providing quality care to America’s poor.

Suggested Citation

Timmons, Edward, Healthcare License Turf Wars: The Effects of Expanded Nurse Practitioner and Physician Assistant Scope of Practice on Medicaid Patient Access (01/26/2016). MERCATUS WORKING PAPER, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3191448 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3191448

Edward Timmons (Contact Author)

West Virginia University - Department of Economics ( email )

Morgantown, WV 26506
United States

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