Governor Shapiro's Speech on Full Practice Authority

During his 2025-2026 budget speech, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro talked about the steps we can take to ease healthcare shortages, including giving Full Practice Authority to Nurse Practitioners.

In Pennsylvania, we are facing shortages of healthcare professionals. There are simply not enough primary care physicians to meet the needs of patients in rural, suburban, and urban communities. This is a severe access to healthcare problem, impacting people regardless of their age, gender, and political beliefs. Many Pennsylvanians have already experienced the effects of healthcare shortages, including long wait times for appointments, difficulties finding a mental health provider accepting new patients, and traveling long distances to neighboring counties for prenatal and maternal care.

Full Practice Authority for NPs is a cost-free, proven solution to this shortage, already successfully enacted in 27 other states. It has widespread support from legislators and constituents alike. Governor Shapiro highlighted this issue during his speech and urged the Senate to pass the bill, sending it to the House and getting it on his desk. You can hear Governor Shapiro’s speech here.