The problem addressed in the current study is lack of independent Nurse Practitioner (NP) services that limits patients’ access to care and results in poorer health status. The purpose of the quantitative comparative study was to determine if access to care and state health status of U.S. residents differs in areas that do and do not have independent NP care available. Two research questions guided the study: (a) How does access to care differ between states with and without independent NP practice, and (b) How does health status differ between states with and without independent NP practice? Data for all 50 United States were gathered from the State Health Access Data Assistance Center and the United Health Foundation. Mann Whitney U testing resulted in failure to reject null hypotheses that access to care or state health status differed in states with or without independent NP practice. There was no indication that the presence of independent NP practices would improve health outcomes based on the data analysis. Resolving health care problems remain paramount goals for the United States. Future studies may need to include maturation effects of length of NP practices and using treatment billing codes that actually track NP treated patients. Research including social theory and public health policy in the United States may be needed given the magnitude of health care problems. Leaders may consider legislation for independent NP practice in more states and tracking the effects to identify access problem solutions.