Most of the justification for a doctor's prescription for routine is that the doctor will catch drug interactions, side effects, or changes in the disease. This is pretty bogus given automated testing and the really minimal level of interaction the doctor has with the patient on most followup visits. A lot of it is also to shield from liability.

I can sort of buy an argument for NP or MD prescribing initial medication, but cheap testing should allow followup care to be much better and cheaper (send a complete blood panel, urinalysis, and basic info to the doctor over the internet every week, from home, etc.)

The current "doc in a box" style clinic (largely to get around prescribing requirements) is doing more to provide affordable access to health care than anything in the new health care bill.