Austin, Texas – A new statewide poll shows that 90% of Texans think that it should be easier for patients to receive care from APRNs like Nurse Practitioners. Additionally, 81% back the removal of the costly contract requirement for APRNs, such as in The HEAL Texans Act to expand options and access to healthcare. The poll was commissioned by Texans for Healthcare Access and conducted in February by Baselice & Associates Inc. and GS Strategy Group.

“This new poll reaffirms what I have heard from constituents across West Texas-- they want more access and more options to quality healthcare. With 90% of the state designated as a health profession shortage area, it is not surprising that 90% of Texans think access to care should be easier” said Senator César J. Blanco. “That is why I authored the HEAL Texans Act to eliminate barriers to healthcare so patients, particularly in our rural and underserved communities, have more access and more options to quality healthcare.”

Nurse practitioners currently provide primary care and many of the same services as physicians, including diagnosing and treating common illnesses, prescribing medications, and providing preventative care. However, Texas is one of a handful of states that does not allow APRNs to provide primary care, unless they pay a physician for a delegation contract. This contractual and delegation requirement hurts Texans’ access to primary care and leaves Texans with fewer healthcare options, especially in rural and underserved areas.

Twenty-seven states, the U.S. Military, and the VA healthcare system, have released nurse practitioners from the administratively and financially burdensome requirements of physician delegation authority, and none have returned to the limited practice model.

Senator Blanco also added, “The HEAL Texans Act would allow nurse practitioners to do the work they already do - just without the administrative and financial barriers of having to pay a physician for a contract. This is not about Nurses or Doctors. This is about patients getting the quality healthcare they need closer to home.”

Read the full results of the poll here: https://bit.ly/3JOuVfZ

For further information, please contact Taylor Sanchez at 915-276-3872 or Taylor.Sanchez@senate.texas.gov.  

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