Health Care for Energy Workers Act of 2025
The Health Care for Energy Workers Act of 2025 would expand who can furnish medical benefits under the Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Program Act (EEOICPA). Specifically, it adds nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to the list of providers authorized to prescribe, recommend, or order services, appliances, and supplies for illnesses covered by the medical benefits under EEOICPA. The new authority would apply if the NP/PA acts within their state-allowed scope of practice and follows regulations and instructions the President deems necessary. The change is implemented by creating a new subsection (c) within Section 3629 of EEOICPA and redesignating subsequent subsections accordingly. In short, the bill aims to speed and broaden access to medically necessary benefits for energy workers by allowing NPs and PAs to directly issue requests for needed services and equipment, subject to state law and federal regulatory guidance.
Key Points
- 1Adds NP and PA authority: Nurse practitioners and physician assistants may prescribe, recommend, or order services, appliances, and supplies for illnesses covered by EEOICPA medical benefits.
- 2Scope and regulatory guardrails: The authority is conditional on acting within the NP/PA’s state-law scope of practice and in accordance with regulations and instructions the President deems necessary.
- 3Structural change to the statute: The change requires redesignation of subsections (c)–(f) to (d)–(g) and creation of a new subsection (c) to establish the NP/PA authority.
- 4Programmatic impact: The bill expands the set of providers who can furnish benefits under EEOICPA without explicitly creating new benefits or funding, potentially improving access and reducing delays.
- 5Legislative sponsorship: Introduced in the Senate by Mr. Hickenlooper (joined by Mrs. Blackburn and Mrs. Murray); status is “Introduced.”