LEGISLATIVE UPDATES

June 2026 

Dear NAPNAP Massachusetts Members,

We are writing to share an important update and advocacy opportunity related to federal student loan access for nurses pursuing graduate education.

On April 30, 2026, the U.S. Department of Education released its final rule through the Reimagining and Improving Student Education process. Unfortunately, the final rule did not include post-baccalaureate nursing programs within the federal definition of professional degree programs. As a result, beginning July 1, 2026, nurses pursuing graduate education will face lower federal loan limits than students in other recognized professional programs.

This decision is deeply disappointing. Graduate nursing education prepares the nurse practitioners, advanced practice nurses, educators, and leaders our health care system urgently needs. Excluding nursing from professional degree status creates unnecessary financial barriers at a time when expanding and sustaining the nursing workforce is essential.

Although the regulatory process did not produce the outcome nursing advocates had hoped for, momentum is now building in Congress. The Nursing Is a Professional Degree Act (H.R. 8691 / S. 4568), has been introduced with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. This legislation would recognize post-baccalaureate nursing programs as professional degree programs for federal student loan purposes.

We encourage all NAPNAP Massachusetts members to take action by visiting the AANP VoterVoice Advocacy Center and sending a message to your

elected officials urging them to support the Nursing Is a Professional Degree Act.

This is a meaningful opportunity to advocate for equitable access to graduate nursing education and to support the future of the nurse practitioner workforce. Your voice as a pediatric nurse practitioner and nursing leader is powerful, and collective advocacy from our members can help move this legislation forward.

Thank you for your continued commitment to children, families, nursing education, and the future of our profession.

November, 2025

Our Autism Diagnosis and Treatment Bill (S.754 /H.1254 ) was heard before the Joint Committee on Financial Services on October 8th and is awaiting action. If passed, this legislation will require that state-based private insurance plans recognize ASD diagnoses and treatment orders issued by nurse practitioners. Under current law, only physicians and psychologists may do so—creating unnecessary delays for children and families affected by autism spectrum disorder.

Based on the above developments and our targeted lobbying strategies to advance our Capacity and Global Insurance bills, we are focusing our current advocacy efforts on garnering support for our Autism Diagnosis and Treatment bill – and this is where we need your help.

How can you make a difference?

Send an Advocacy Email.
We’ve made it easy for you to ACT. We are partnering with the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners to coordinate our advocacy on this bill. Please visit the MCNP Advocacy Center to send a pre-drafted email to your legislators urging their support for our Autism Diagnosis and Treatment Bill. This takes 30 seconds (and you can probably get it done while you’re waiting for your morning coffee).

Even if you don’t directly care for children with ASD, this bill represents a broader effort to eliminate physician-centric language in state insurance statutes and remove barriers to patient care—issues that affect every nurse practitioner and every patient we serve.
CLICK HERE to ACT NOW

Autism Diagnosis (Joint Committee on Financial Services)

An Act Relative to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

S.754 Dylan Fernandes - Plymouth and Barnstable

H.1254 John Mahoney - 13th Worcester

An Act Relative to the Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder

Purpose of the Bill
This proposed legislation seeks to improve access to timely diagnosis and treatment of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by requiring health insurance payers to recognize diagnoses and treatment orders of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) and Psychiatric Nurse Mental Health Clinical Specialists (PNMHCSs) in Massachusetts.

Key Provisions
1. Expands the definitions in multiple sections of the Massachusetts General Laws related to the treatment of ASD to include licensed NPs and Psychiatric Nurse Mental Health Clinical Specialists alongside licensed physicians and psychologists for the diagnosis and treatment of ASD.
2. Requires health insurance payers to recognize diagnoses and treatment orders from NPs and Psychiatric Nurse Mental Health Clinical Specialists for ASD.
3. Aligns ASD statutes with the recognized scope of practice authority of NPs and PNMHCSs who diagnose and order treatment for patients with ASD.

Why This Matters
• Access to Care: Major barriers currently exist to timely diagnostic evaluations of individuals with suspected autism spectrum disorder due to a workforce crisis. A delay in diagnosis creates a significant delay in accessing services for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Trained NPs and PNMHCSs currently diagnose, and order treatment for children with ASD. The majority of children who are diagnosed with ASD under the age of three who access tailored interventions show improved progress, decreased family stress, and lowered long-term costs.
• Insurance Barriers: Due to current statutory restrictions, insurance companies currently reject diagnoses and orders by NPs and PNMHCSs, thereby denying and delaying necessary interventions for children and families.
• Scope of Practice Alignment: NPs and PNMHCSs are advanced practice registered nurses trained to diagnose and manage conditions like ASD and routinely care for these patients in primary and specialty care settings. This bill ensures that insurance statutes align with NP and PNMHCS scope of practice as authorized under Chapter 112, section 80B and recognized by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing.

Impact of Early Intervention
Research consistently shows that intervention initiated between ages 2 and 4 leads to significantly better developmental outcomes in children with ASD. Early treatment improves cognitive development, improves communication and social skills, decreases problem behaviors, decreases family stress, and lowers long-term costs. Early intervention is not just beneficial but essential for optimizing the developmental trajectory and overall quality of life for children with ASD.

Benefits of Passing the Bill
• Reduces wait times for diagnostic evaluations for ASD.
• Increases access to critical early intervention services.
• Improves outcomes and ensures equitable healthcare delivery for patients with ASD.
• Leverages the skills of NPs to address specialty provider workforce crisis.
• Expands the pool of trained providers eligible to diagnose ASD and order appropriate
treatments.