Guess what is “among the few bipartisan areas of agreement in health care these days”? The idea of allowing people more flexibility in getting high-quality health care when and where they want, by letting nurse practitioners do their jobs without physician oversight.

That bipartisanship on this issue is how a recent piece in Forbes put it. Indeed, South Dakota has just become the 22^nd state, along with the District of Columbia, to allow nurse practitioners and certified nurse-midwives to provide care to the full extent of their education and training. And not too long ago, Michigan and Ohio legislatures struck deals in the name of progress on health care laws. As the article says, several states have passed such legislation in recent years—nine since the Campaign started—and several more are considering it.

The Campaign for Action is supporting such moves in those other states, which include Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas, and Wisconsin. The need is particularly acute in states that, like South Dakota, have large rural populations.

Highlighted in orange are states that have recently passed or are considering legislation to provide residents better access to care in 2017. 

This post was updated on March 7 to include Illinois as a state that is considering legislation.