title: Insurer policies create barriers to health care access and consumer choice.
abstract: A national survey shows that most insurance companies refuse to credential nurse practitioners in nurse-managed health centers as primary care providers. These prohibitive policies along with weak federal and state laws threaten the long-term sustainability of nurse-managed health centers as safety net health care providers, and the ability for nurse practitioners to become an accepted primary health care source in the United States.
authors.affiliation: National Nursing Centers Consortium, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: Tine
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hansen-Turton
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ritter
authors.forename: Nancy
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rothman
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Valdez
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003151:Community Health Centers / Q000458:organization & administration; D003406:Credentialing / Q000458:organization & administration; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006302:Health Services Research; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000458:organization & administration; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D008008:Licensure, Nursing; D008484:Medicaid / Q000458:organization & administration; D008507:Medically Underserved Area; D006278:Medicare / Q000458:organization & administration; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015401:Nursing Administration Research; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017009:Professional Autonomy; D012051:Reimbursement Mechanisms / Q000458:organization & administration; D014481:United States