ANA Calls on Congress to Stand Firm in Support of the ICAN Act

The American Nurses Association (ANA), along with our partners, the American Association of Nurse Anesthesiology (AANA), the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP), and the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM), have joined together to strongly support the Improving Care and Access to Nurses (ICAN) Act (H.R. 2713). This legislation was reintroduced in the U.S. House of Representatives on April 20th, with strong bipartisan support. That bipartisan support has helped the ICAN Act gain momentum and now more than 235 organizations have also endorsed the bill. The ICAN Act is a watershed moment for our nation’s health care system, as this bill will greatly increase access to high-quality care for millions of Americans.

The endorsing organizations understand that this critically important legislation will improve access to health care for millions of patients. The ICAN Act will remove administrative, practice and other barriers currently faced by APRNs and their patients. This legislation is consistent with the recommendations from numerous health care stakeholders, including in the National Academy of Medicine’s The Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity report.

This report recommends that “all relevant state, federal and private organizations enable nurses to practice to the full extent of their education and training by removing practice barriers that prevent them from more fully addressing social needs and social determinants of health and improve health care access, quality, and value.”

Today, more than 200,000 APRNs are treating Medicare patients, and approximately 40% of Medicare beneficiaries are receiving care from APRNs. It is essential Congress removes barriers to care for the hundreds of thousands of APRNs and their millions of patients to maximize the ability of our health care workforce to meet the needs of patients and communities. The ICAN Act will improve access to health care by updating the Medicare and Medicaid programs, enabling APRNs to practice to the top of their education and clinical training.