Medicare funding of nurse education. The case for policy change

Medicare is the largest single source of federal support for nursing education, yet the majority of Medicare nursing education funding goes to hospitals affiliated with an increasingly smaller, idiosyncratic subset of nurse training programs.

Abstract

Medicare is the largest single source of federal support for nursing education. Yet, the majority of Medicare nursing education funding goes to hospitals affiliated with an increasingly smaller, idiosyncratic subset of nurse training programs. Unlike graduate medical education, Medicare supports primarily preprofessional education in nursing. Graduate education, including the preparation of nurse practitioners, does not generally qualify for reimbursement. Medicare reimbursement for nursing education must be retargeted.