The American Nurses Association, which represents 3.6 million nurses, penned a letter to President-elect Donald Trump highlighting nurses' healthcare priorities for the next administration.
"ANA is calling on you and your administration to prioritize the health of the nation, which is foundational to progress and economic growth," wrote Pamela Cipriano, PhD, RN, president of the ANA.
Here are the four main requests of the ANA.
1. Make sure all Americans and residents have access to essential healthcare services. These services must include mental health, according to the ANA. The group also calls for keeping a handful of provisions under the ACA, such as prohibiting payers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions, allowing children to stay on a parent's health plan until age 26 and Medicaid expansion.
2. Promote the efficient use of preventive, primary care when appropriate. This includes promoted team-based care, allowing registered nurses and advanced practice nurses to work to the top of their license and coordinating care to reduce costs.
3. Drive economical use of healthcare without compromising coverage. The ANA called for a partnership between the government and the private sector to handle costs, continued commitment to value-based care services, elimination of lifetime caps or annual limits on healthcare coverage and income-based federal subsides to offset the cost of insurance.
4. Commit to federal funding to ensure the supply of nurses can meet the demand. Specifically, the group called for more grant or loan repayment based funding to bolster the primary care workforce and increased funding to support workforce diversity.
Read the full letter here.
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