Mississippi Medical Board Faces Antitrust Challenge Over Nurse-Midwife Practice Rules

The complaint, filed Tuesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, was brought by the American College of Nurse-Midwives. The organization alleges that the board’s requirement forcing certified nurse-midwives to secure a formal collaboration with a licensed physician before providing labor and delivery services unlawfully restricts competition in the healthcare market, per Bloomberg.

At the center of the dispute is a rule that prevents nurse-midwives from independently offering certain maternity care services, even though they are licensed and regulated by Mississippi’s Board of Nursing. The lawsuit contends that this physician collaboration mandate primarily serves to protect doctors from competition rather than improve patient outcomes, according to Bloomberg.

The legal action follows a broader challenge filed in January 2026 against the medical licensure board, asserting that physician-led oversight requirements improperly limit the scope of practice for nurse-midwives. The plaintiffs argue that such restrictions reduce access to care, particularly in underserved and rural areas of Mississippi, where maternity care providers are already in short supply.

The case adds to a growing number of antitrust disputes nationwide targeting professional licensing boards and state-level regulations that critics say curb competition among healthcare providers. As reported by Bloomberg, similar legal theories have been used in other states to challenge rules that require non-physician clinicians to operate under physician supervision.

The Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure has not publicly responded to the allegations in court filings so far.

Source: Bloomberg