Amid the Shutdown Chaos, Nurses Hold the Key to Saving Healthcare Billions
The federal government is shut down, and healthcare is once more at the heart of the fight. Democrats are demanding the continuation of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies, while Republicans are pushing back against excessive spending. The debate over subsidies and spending overlooks the bigger picture: how to reform the system that continually drives up costs.
If Congress wants to create real, lasting savings, it must look beyond partisan standoffs and focus on how we pay for care. The most innovative, most cost-effective solution is right in front of us: empowering nurses to practice and bill independently for the care they already provide.
There are 5 million nurses across the nation. Nurses are coordinating care, managing chronic diseases, and educating patients — often without the ability to bill for these services. This lack of reimbursement recognition drives inefficiency and forces patients into higher-cost hospital care. When nurses are allowed to practice to the full extent of their training, outcomes improve, and costs drop.
Peer-reviewed research proves it:
- Nurse practitioner-led care reduces total costs by as much as 30%.
- Chronic-disease management programs run by nurses lower hospital admissions and readmissions.
- Preventive education and care coordination by nurses improves quality patient outcomes while cutting waste.
Independent nursing reimbursement is one of the few reforms that cuts costs while expanding access to care. It’s a good policy and sound economics. Allowing nurses to bill independently will result in cost savings for Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers.
If Washington needs an example of what imagination and vision can accomplish, look no further than President Donald J. Trump. His success in brokering peace around the world didn’t come only from negotiation — it came from imagination. He paints a picture of potential — and it changes how the parties see what is possible.
Nurses can do the same for healthcare. We have the vision and the experience to reimagine the system itself — one focused on wellness, prevention, and efficient care delivery. We can paint that picture and make it real.
Imagine a healthcare system where:
- Nurses have Full Practice Authority (FPA) in every state.
- Independent billing codes exist for care coordination and chronic disease management.
- Hospitals spend less on avoidable readmissions.
- Patients stay healthier — and the nation saves billions.
Great change always begins with imagination. President Trump showed that by envisioning peace in regions defined by conflict. Nurses can do the same. Envision a healthcare system defined by wellness, not illness, value, not volume. That vision will save billions and countless lives.
Congress can end the shutdown and ignite reform with one bold act: recognize nurses as the key to cost savings and quality care. Give us the tools to bill for the work we already do, keeping patients healthy and out of the hospital. If we can do that, America won’t just reopen; it will heal.
