Will Arizona Soon Become the Seventh State to Allow Patients Access to Prescribing Psychologists?

Jeffrey A. Singer

On March 3, Colorado Governor Jared Polis signed into law HB 1071, allowing Colorado’s residents to join those in the states of New Mexico, Louisiana, Illinois, Iowa, and Idaho who are able to access medically assisted psychotherapy from qualified prescribing psychologists (RxPs). Arizonans have reason to be hopeful that their state will be next in line to remove government obstacles to RxPs.

On February 1, State Senator T.J. Shope (R) introduced SB 1457, which closely resembles the bill that just became law in Colorado. I provided expert testimony before the Arizona Senate Health and Human Services Committee on February 14. I told the Committee that RxPs have been practicing for more than 30 years in the military, federal agencies, 5 states, and the territory of Guam and can help improve access to mental health services at a time when mental health problems are on the rise. The committee passed the bill with a 6–1 vote. The Senate passed the bill 18–11 (1 not voting) on February 27.

On March 1, SB 1457 was introduced in the Arizona House of Representatives and will soon be taken up by the House Health and Human Services Committee.

According to a 2022 Harris Poll conducted for the National Council on Mental Wellbeing, approximately 40 percent of Americans said they could not get mental health services in the past 12 months, particularly services requiring drug‐​based therapy. Arizona lawmakers can help mitigate the problem by allowing patients access to RxPs. And doing so doesn’t spend taxpayer dollars.

To learn more about how RxPs can help improve access to mental health services, read my Cato briefing paper on the subject here.