Latest news with #Ledbetter
Indianapolis Star
06-08-2025
- Health
- Indianapolis Star
Rural hospitals are closing. Nurses could help, if Indiana would let them.
Rural hospitals across Indiana expect to face severe financial difficulties after state and federal Medicaid cuts. That's, in part, because it is harder to retain physicians in rural areas, where the population is more dependent on government assistance, suffers from worse health and faces greater barriers to care. State Rep. Cindy Ledbetter, R-Newburgh, has floated an idea to address this problem every year since she joined the Indiana General Assembly. Her latest effort, House Bill 1116, would have allowed advanced practice nurse practitioners like herself to write prescriptions without needing a collaborative practice agreement with a physician. The problem with collaborative practice agreements, Ledbetter told me, is that they require physicians to review at least 5% of the patient care they provide. 'It creates unnecessary barriers for APRNs to care for patients, limits access and increases costs, (because) some physicians charge $500 an hour or more to review these charts and the hospital administrative fees for writing these agreements are very burdensome,' Ledbetter said. 'So if an APRN wanted to open a medical practice in a rural community, and they had the state average of 2,400 patients, that would be a minimum cost of $15,000 a year.' Nurse practitioners often have just as many years of medical training and education as a physician. Nonetheless, Ledbetter's proposal has never received a hearing. Studies show nurse practitioners tend to move into rural and high-need areas when requirements for collaborative practice agreements are removed. This is important. More than 65% of Indiana counties are considered a primary care professional shortage area or contain a shortage population, while all but 10 of Indiana's 92 counties are considered a mental health professional shortage area. More: Trump's tax bill will crush the rural voters who chose him Modifying medical scope of practice is nearly always a controversial topic with lobbyists, even in fields as seemingly mundane as horse dentistry. Gov. Mike Braun, however, has signaled his approval for eliminating unnecessary professional licensing requirements and regulations. The legislature should take this into account and finally acknowledge this very small-government way to address the state's physician shortage. Lobbyists argue that medical professionals with a slightly different type or length of education will perform a health service significantly worse. The underlying motivation to their opposition, however, seems to be job security. 'During a meeting with the members of the Indiana State Medical Association, it was shared that there is concern that if the collaborative agreement is terminated, hospitals may lay off physicians and replace them with advanced practice nurses, and this is not something that's going to occur,' Ledbetter told me. But, she added, "when you interview these individuals about the legislation, they will tell you that they are concerned about policy and safety and that the APRNs do not have as much education as the physicians.' Opinion: Give medical decisions back to patients, doctors There is a great deal of evidence that granting full scope of practice to nurse practitioners does not lower health outcomes. If nurse practitioners can provide similar health care outcomes at a lower cost, there is no reason to overburden them with regulations. Midwives are another type of health care provider required to work under a physician under Indiana law, despite Indiana's relatively high maternal and infant mortality and lack of obstetric care in rural areas. These professionals are generally utilized during home births. Studies have also shown that they have similar health outcomes to hospital births and can increase the accessibility of care in rural areas. These two examples show Indiana has a broader problem of overburdening health care providers that don't have a doctor of medicine degree with costly regulations — possibly because both the House and Senate committees in charge of the state's health care are run by physicians. "Practitioners' scope of practice is just one of several policy tools to improve access," state Rep. Brad Barrett, R-Richmond, chair of the House Public Health Committee, said in a statement. "However, recent studies from the American Medical Association and the Journal of Rural Health show advanced practice registered nurses tend to follow the same geographic distribution patterns as physicians regardless of scope of practice laws, raising doubts about whether changing those laws would actually improve access." Their preferred strategy has long focused on making health care more competitive and transparent in an attempt to make it more affordable, but those reforms also tend to arbitrarily exclude health care providers without an M.D. 'Giving a one-time tax credit to a physician to open a medical practice is not going to provide much change,' Ledbetter said. 'The reason being is that physicians cannot sustain private practices (in rural areas) due to low Medicaid reimbursement rates, rising processing costs and administrative burdens. … Another thing that's frustrating as an APRN is that bill only allowed for the physicians to have those tax credits.' Other reforms seem to directly work against rural providers. 'I think the financial pressures that recent legislation has passed on hospitals are actually causing increased consolidation," Ledbetter added. Perhaps if there were more representation from other types of health care providers in the legislature, there would be greater support for simply eliminating unnecessary regulations to help all medical professionals meet people where they are. Even in places without the difficulties faced by rural communities, physicians are overworked and often forced to spend most of their time on administrative tasks. Nurse practitioners can be vital partners in their efforts to deliver affordable health care, especially in Indiana's rural communities, if the state would just remove the regulations that keep them from efficiently doing their job.
Hamilton Spectator
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Patricia Clarkson on playing her icon Lilly Ledbetter and the political moment greeting the movie
NEW YORK (AP) — The film 'Lilly,' a biopic about the equal pay icon Lilly Ledbetter, lands in theaters at a difficult time for her biggest political and civil rights champions. Many are gone or out of power, their hopes of building on Ledbetter's legacy interrupted by a more fundamental fight over President Donald Trump's shake-up of civil rights institutions . It's difficult not to flashforward to the present as the most famous of those supporters appear in interspersed documentary footage: the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama, who signed the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act , which strengthened the right of workers to sue for pay discrimination. Less well-known is Jocelyn Samuels, played as a key character by Deirdre Lovejoy. Back then, Samuels was an executive at the National Women's Law Center, guiding Ledbetter through the halls of Congress as they lobbied for the law. Currently, Samuels is one of two Democratic commissioners fired by Trump from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an unprecedented power play she is fighting in a lawsuit . Ledbetter died in October at the age of 86. The following month, Trump's election all but dashed Democratic hopes for passage any time soon of the more comprehensive Paycheck Fairness Act , which Ledbetter championed and would, among other measures, strengthen the ability of the EEOC to investigate pay discrimination. Patricia Clarkson, who stars as Ledbetter in 'Lilly,' doesn't shy away from the politics of the film, directed by Rachel Feldman. The Academy Award-nominee shared the red carpet with Clinton , who made a surprise appearance at the film's May 7 premier in New York City. She often recalls how her own mother, the late former Louisiana state legislator Jackie Clarkson , cried for joy when learning her daughter would play Ledbetter. In an interview with The Associated Press, Clarkson said the politics are a salient backdrop for what people should remember most: The resilience of a woman, who for most of her life, was an unknown working mother until an anonymous note tipped her off that her male co-workers were getting paid thousands of dollars more for the same job, and she decided to fight back. The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. Q: What did you do to prepare for the role? I understand you never met Lilly Ledbetter and it that it was an intentional choice. A: I imprint very easily with people and so I was afraid if I met Lilly, I would try to imitate her, play her. I realized that I owed her the very best of me as an actress, as a woman and a person. And the way to do that is to bring the best of you and to bring the best of yourself emotionally and physically and intellectually. And you can't do that if you are living with such an image. And Lilly is a very powerful image in my life. And so I had to kind of just bring her back to an ordinary life. Q: Did you did you dig into her writings or her speeches? A: I looked at a certain amount ... But I wanted her emotional life ever-present ... That's what's important because change is hard and people suffer to fight injustice .... I didn't care about mannerisms. I just wanted her emotional strife and struggle to be present. Q: It must have been hard to anticipate how different the political moment would be when the movie was released. A: I literally and figuratively had dreams of being on a press tour with Lilly. It was going to be the highlight of my life to be with this remarkable human being ... but then she passed. But maybe right now, is the greatest time for this film because it's reminding people that there can be accomplishments. Q: Is it a more difficult political climate for a film like this? A: I know the Democrats embraced her but let me tell you something: Lilly was not really a deeply political person, and that's something I held strong to ... And yeah, she spoke at the (Democratic National Convention) but she would have spoken at the (Republican National Convention) if she has been asked. Equal pay is equal pay. Whether you are North, South, East, West, whether you were red, blue or purple. She didn't care. Q: You also recently starred in 'She Said,' the 2022 film about the New York Times' uncovering of the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein . What are the parallels with 'Lilly'? A: It's all of a piece. It's a mindset of certain men we have had to work with, either in Hollywood or in the workforce ... Hollywood's come a long way because I've been in it since 1985, and I've spoken about this. We used to meet male producers and directors in hotel rooms and actors in hotel rooms, and we all thought that was fine. We were paid less throughout. I was paid less throughout the whole beginning of my career. Q: If there's one thing that you want the audience to take away about Lilly, what would it be? A: She got back up, and you should be a proud American when you watch her. _______ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Patricia Clarkson on playing her icon Lilly Ledbetter and the political moment greeting the movie
NEW YORK (AP) — The film 'Lilly,' a biopic about the equal pay icon Lilly Ledbetter, lands in theaters at a difficult time for her biggest political and civil rights champions. Many are gone or out of power, their hopes of building on Ledbetter's legacy interrupted by a more fundamental fight over President Donald Trump's shake-up of civil rights institutions. It's difficult not to flashforward to the present as the most famous of those supporters appear in interspersed documentary footage: the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama, who signed the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which strengthened the right of workers to sue for pay discrimination. Less well-known is Jocelyn Samuels, played as a key character by Deirdre Lovejoy. Back then, Samuels was an executive at the National Women's Law Center, guiding Ledbetter through the halls of Congress as they lobbied for the law. Currently, Samuels is one of two Democratic commissioners fired by Trump from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an unprecedented power play she is fighting in a lawsuit. Ledbetter died in October at the age of 86. The following month, Trump's election all but dashed Democratic hopes for passage any time soon of the more comprehensive Paycheck Fairness Act, which Ledbetter championed and would, among other measures, strengthen the ability of the EEOC to investigate pay discrimination. Patricia Clarkson, who stars as Ledbetter in 'Lilly,' doesn't shy away from the politics of the film, directed by Rachel Feldman. The Academy Award-nominee shared the red carpet with Clinton, who made a surprise appearance at the film's May 7 premier in New York City. She often recalls how her own mother, the late former Louisiana state legislator Jackie Clarkson, cried for joy when learning her daughter would play Ledbetter. In an interview with The Associated Press, Clarkson said the politics are a salient backdrop for what people should remember most: The resilience of a woman, who for most of her life, was an unknown working mother until an anonymous note tipped her off that her male co-workers were getting paid thousands of dollars more for the same job, and she decided to fight back. The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. Q: What did you do to prepare for the role? I understand you never met Lilly Ledbetter and it that it was an intentional choice. A: I imprint very easily with people and so I was afraid if I met Lilly, I would try to imitate her, play her. I realized that I owed her the very best of me as an actress, as a woman and a person. And the way to do that is to bring the best of you and to bring the best of yourself emotionally and physically and intellectually. And you can't do that if you are living with such an image. And Lilly is a very powerful image in my life. And so I had to kind of just bring her back to an ordinary life. Q: Did you did you dig into her writings or her speeches? A: I looked at a certain amount ... But I wanted her emotional life ever-present ... That's what's important because change is hard and people suffer to fight injustice .... I didn't care about mannerisms. I just wanted her emotional strife and struggle to be present. Q: It must have been hard to anticipate how different the political moment would be when the movie was released. A: I literally and figuratively had dreams of being on a press tour with Lilly. It was going to be the highlight of my life to be with this remarkable human being ... but then she passed. But maybe right now, is the greatest time for this film because it's reminding people that there can be accomplishments. Q: Is it a more difficult political climate for a film like this? A: I know the Democrats embraced her but let me tell you something: Lilly was not really a deeply political person, and that's something I held strong to ... And yeah, she spoke at the (Democratic National Convention) but she would have spoken at the (Republican National Convention) if she has been asked. Equal pay is equal pay. Whether you are North, South, East, West, whether you were red, blue or purple. She didn't care. Q: You also recently starred in 'She Said,' the 2022 film about the New York Times' uncovering of the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. What are the parallels with 'Lilly'? A: It's all of a piece. It's a mindset of certain men we have had to work with, either in Hollywood or in the workforce ... Hollywood's come a long way because I've been in it since 1985, and I've spoken about this. We used to meet male producers and directors in hotel rooms and actors in hotel rooms, and we all thought that was fine. We were paid less throughout. I was paid less throughout the whole beginning of my career. Q: If there's one thing that you want the audience to take away about Lilly, what would it be? A: She got back up, and you should be a proud American when you watch her. _______ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at Alexandra Olson, The Associated Press
Toronto Star
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Patricia Clarkson on playing her icon Lilly Ledbetter and the political moment greeting the movie
NEW YORK (AP) — The film 'Lilly,' a biopic about the equal pay icon Lilly Ledbetter, lands in theaters at a difficult time for her biggest political and civil rights champions. Most are gone or out of power, their hopes of building on Ledbetter's legacy interrupted by a more fundamental fight over President Donald Trump's shake-up of civil rights institutions. It's difficult not to flashforward to the present as the most famous of those supporters appear in interspersed documentary footage: the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, former first lady Michelle Obama and former President Barack Obama, who signed the 2009 Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which strengthened the right of workers to sue for pay discrimination. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Less well-known is Jocelyn Samuels, played as a key character by Deirdre Lovejoy. Back then, Samuels was an executive at the National Women's Law Center, guiding Ledbetter through the halls of Congress as they lobbied for the law. Currently, Samuels is one of two Democratic commissioners fired by Trump from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, an unprecedented power play she is fighting in a lawsuit. Ledbetter died in October at the age of 86. The following month, Trump's election all but dashed Democratic hopes for passage any time soon of the more comprehensive Paycheck Fairness Act, which Ledbetter championed and would, among other measures, strengthen the ability of the EEOC to investigate pay discrimination. Patricia Clarkson, who stars as Ledbetter in 'Lilly,' doesn't shy away from the politics of the film, directed by Rachel Feldman. The Academy Award-nominee shared the red carpet with Clinton, who made a surprise appearance at the film's May 7 premier in New York City. She often recalls how her own mother, the late former Louisiana state legislator Jackie Clarkson, cried for joy when learning her daughter would play Ledbetter. In an interview with The Associated Press, Clarkson said the politics are a salient backdrop for what people should remember most: a woman who for most of her life was an unknown working mother until an anonymous note tipped her off that her male co-workers were getting paid thousands of dollars more for the same job, and she decided to fight back. The conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity. Q: What did you do to prepare for the role? I understand you never met Lilly Ledbetter and it that it was an intentional choice. A: I imprint very easily with people and so I was afraid if I met Lilly, I would try to imitate her, play her. I realized that I owed her the very best of me as an actress, as a woman and a person. And the way to do that is to bring the best of you and to bring the best of yourself emotionally and physically and intellectually. And you can't do that if you are living with such an image. And Lilly is a very powerful image in my life. And so I had to kind of just bring her back to an ordinary life. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Q: Did you did you dig into her writings or her speeches? A: I looked at a certain amount ... But I wanted her emotional life ever-present ... That's what's important because change is hard and people suffer to fight injustice .... I didn't care about mannerisms. I just wanted her emotional strife and struggle to be present. Q: It must have been hard to anticipate how different the political moment would be when the movie was released. A: I literally and figuratively had dreams of being on a press tour with Lilly. It was going to be the highlight of my life to be with this remarkable human being ... but then she passed. But maybe right now, is the greatest time for this film because it's reminding people that there can be accomplishments. Q: Is it a more difficult political climate for a film like this? A: I know the Democrats embraced her but let me tell you something: Lilly was not really a deeply political person, and that's something I held strong to ... And yeah, she spoke at the (Democratic National Convention) but she would have spoken at the (Republican National Convention) if she has been asked. Equal pay is equal pay. Whether you are North, South, East, West, whether you were red, blue or purple. She didn't care. Q: You also recently starred in 'She Said,' the 2022 film about the New York Times' uncovering of the sexual assault allegations against Harvey Weinstein. What are the parallels with 'Lilly'? A: It's all of a piece. It's a mindset of certain men we have had to work with, either in Hollywood or in the workforce ... Hollywood's come a long way because I've been in it since 1985, and I've spoken about this. We used to meet male producers and directors in hotel rooms and actors in hotel rooms, and we all thought that was fine. We were paid less throughout. I was paid less throughout the whole beginning of my career. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Q: If there's one thing that you want the audience to take away about Lilly, what would it be? A: She got back up, and you should be a proud American when you watch her. _______ The Associated Press' women in the workforce and state government coverage receives financial support from Pivotal Ventures. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at
Washington Post
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Patricia Clarkson on playing her icon Lilly Ledbetter and the political moment greeting the movie
NEW YORK — The film 'Lilly,' a biopic about the equal pay icon Lilly Ledbetter , lands in theaters at a difficult time for her biggest political and civil rights champions. Most are gone or out of power, their hopes of building on Ledbetter's legacy interrupted by a more fundamental fight over President Donald Trump's shake-up of civil rights institutions .
