WASHINGTON – U.S. Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) today introduced legislation that will help families access life-saving care for children with complex medical conditions.
Children with complex medical needs cannot always receive the highly specialized care they need within their home state. When that happens, parents must work with health care providers and state Medicaid officials to find out-of-state providers able to provide necessary medical care. The process is difficult and full of red tape, delaying children and their families from receiving the care they desperately need, and in some cases not receiving access to care at all.
The Accelerating Access to Kids Care Act would provide states with the ability to use a streamlined screening and enrollment process for out-of-state pediatric care providers that need to enroll in another state’s Medicaid program, at the same time safeguarding important program integrity processes. This would help reduce the red tape and regulatory burdens that slow down or, or in certain cases, prohibit children from receiving the care they need.
“Children with complex medical needs and their families have plenty to worry about without adding in the uncertainty and stress of not being able to receive the care they need in a timely manner. This commonsense legislation will relieve some of that burden by making the process simpler and more efficient at no additional cost to families,” Grassley said.
“The ultimate shared goal among patients, hospitals, and lawmakers is to increase access to care for kids while simplifying administrative burdens for their families and the providers who serve them. This bipartisan bill will do just that—streamlining processes across state lines that allow kids with complex medical conditions to receive the timely care they need,” Bennet said.
“Children on Medicaid, particularly children with medically complex needs, often face challenges accessing needed care across state lines. By streamlining the enrollment procedures for out of state providers, this bill will relieve administrative burdens and make it easier for kids to receive care in a more timely and efficient way,” said Mark Wietecha, President and CEO of Children’s Hospital Association.
"We are extremely pleased that Senator Grassley continues to be a champion for children with complex medical needs. Unfortunately, rural states like Iowa don't always have within the state borders all of the pediatric subspecialties that children with complex medical conditions need. The Accelerating Kids Access to Care Act will help reduce the barriers that families face to access out-of-state specialty care for their child by streamlining the paperwork approval process for these critically needed pediatric providers," said Dr. Ken Cheyne, Medical Director at Blank Children's Hospital in Des Moines.
"At Children's Hospital Colorado, we treat children from nearly all 50 states every single year. I applaud Senators Grassley and Bennet for introducing this important legislation to make it easier for children with serious healthcare needs to receive the care they need across state lines. This is a common sense bill that leverages existing federal resources to allow institutions like ours to serve children on Medicaid in a streamlined and efficient manner,” said Jena Hausmann, CEO of Children’s Hospital Colorado.
"As an institution that cares for children from almost every state each year, Boston Children's has experienced first-hand the challenges of screening and enrollment procedures that hinder access. We strongly support the Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act and look forward to working with Senators Grassley and Bennet to make this bill law. If enacted, it will provide necessary safeguards to assure children receive timely care," said Sandra Fenwick, CEO of Boston Children's Hospital.
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