Licensing Bottlenecks Are Driving Providers Across State Border – RedState

Illinois and Iowa may be neighboring states, but their governments and governing principles couldn’t be more different. Iowa has become a fairly reliably Republican state in recent years. Illinois, although the southern and western parts of the state are mostly populated by common-sense people, is dominated politically by the Chicago metropolitan area, making it a blue state.

In recent months, we’ve seen many stories of productive people leaving blue states and heading to red states, which is a good idea if stable employment and a decent economy are among everyone’s goals. In the case of these two Midwestern states, however, it is having a very detrimental effect on health care: Physician assistants, or physician assistants, are leaving Illinois for Iowa, citing Illinois’ lengthy licensing process.

Leaders of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation discussed the audit results with members of the Legislative Audit Commission at the Illinois Capitol last week.

State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said physician assistants recently told him they were going to Iowa to get licensed because the process took six months in Illinois.

“That’s six months of lost wages for these individuals. It’s also six months of lost productivity for the state of Illinois. It’s six months of lost tax revenue for the state of Illinois. If they go to Iowa, we’ll never get them back. Ultimately, that’s six months of lost health care for the constituents that we all represent,” Rose said.

State Rep. Natalie Manley, D-Joliet, said she also met with the PAs.

“Is there anything we can do to think outside the box, like a temporary license or something that can be issued so we don’t lose that talent? » asked Manley.

Or you can simply streamline the process. Iowa does it much faster, and there appear to be no negative effects from poorly verified PAs.

Illinois is trying to solve this problem.

IFPR Secretary Mario Treto Jr. said his agency is working to implement a new licensing system.

“Creating a license for six months could create more work in terms of balancing the implementation of this new system and we could find a solution within those six months,” Treto said.

Treto said he hopes the agency’s new system for licensed professionals will be fully implemented by the end of the year.

How many healthcare professionals will they lose during this period?

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PAs and nurse practitioners (NPs) are becoming primary health care providers in many places, making it easier to staff small clinics. Our own small local clinic is overseen by an NP, who is also my primary physician. She’s awesome. Knowledgeable, sensible, practical and efficient. (She also has warm hands, which I like in a doctor.) Many small towns and local clinics across the country are staffed with NPs and PAs. And Illinois seems to be chasing them.

I’m sure Iowa is happy to have them. Our oldest daughter is a nurse practitioner and is the primary care provider in two emergency rooms in eastern Iowa, in addition to running her own clinic in the small town where she lives. She can do almost anything a doctor can do in Iowa, including prescribing medications. She makes a fantastic living, and there’s another draw to Iowa: the cost of living is much lower, especially when it comes to real estate.

Illinois under JB Pritzker is a mess. But this licensing fiasco is hurting something Democrats love to talk about for hours: their health care system. And all because of excessive licensing deadlines and, most likely, a large number of bureaucratic hustles.

If Mario Treto Jr. wants ideas for a PA bachelor’s program, he’d better look west. Iowa seems to be doing better.

Editor’s note: The 2026 midterm elections will determine the fate of President Trump’s America First agenda. Republicans must maintain control of both houses of Congress.

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