Free Market Friendly Ways to Increase Healthcare Access in Response to COVID-19 | Jedynak

By Erica Jedynak
_

In light of COVID-19’s impact on New Jersey, it is critical that policymakers continue to take steps to ensure timely access to affordable health care.

Governor Murphy and lawmakers can respond to the concerns of New Jersey families and take swift action to increase access to health care through several key policy reforms:

(1) Follow Massachusetts Governor Baker and process out-of-state licenses for nurses and medical professionals within one (1) day. Universal recognition (or licensing portability across state lines) should encompass all professions, including vital services and mid-level health care providers.

(2) Remove barriers that restrict access to telemedicine, including by allowing out-of-state physicians to treat patients in New Jersey.

(3) Pass full practice authority reform, so that nurses can practice everything they have been trained to do, improving consumer access to care.

(4) Long-term, pass Certificate of Need reform to increase the number of hospital beds in-state. “Certificates of Need” require healthcare providers demonstrate a “need” for their service before breaking ground on a new facility. As recent news reports have confirmed, there is no doubt that New Jersey may soon need all of the medical capacity it can muster.

To my fellow Save Jerseyans: we will get through this trying time together.

Stay safe.

_

ERICA JEDYNAK is director of employment initiatives at Americans for Prosperity. She is also a New Jersey activist, passionate about women’s leadership and empowerment. As a social change entrepreneur, she leads national and state-level policy reform initiatives.

Erica Jedynak
About Erica Jedynak 29 Articles
ERICA JEDYNAK is the COO for yes. every kid., a leading national advocacy organization w⁠i⁠⁠t⁠h a fam⁠i⁠l⁠i⁠es-f⁠i⁠rs⁠t⁠ approach ⁠t⁠o ⁠t⁠ransform education, where she oversees public affairs and business operations. She lives in Morris County with her husband and son.