Blunt, Reed Reintroduce Bill to Help More Children Get Specialty Health Care They Need

Press Release

U.S. Senators Roy Blunt (Mo.) and Jack Reed (R.I.) last week reintroduced the Ensuring Children's Access to Specialty Care Act. The bill would expand the National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program to include physicians trained in pediatric subspecialties, such as child and adolescent psychiatrists.

"Whether it's physical or behavioral health, children have a unique set of health care needs and we're facing a significant shortage of providers who are able to meet them," Blunt said. "Nearly one in five children suffers from a diagnosable behavioral health disorder, but more than three-quarters of them are not getting the treatment they need. This bill will make it more affordable for health care providers to pursue a pediatric subspecialty and, in turn, expand children's access to care."

Medical residents who specialize in pediatric medicine require additional training, often resulting in increased student loan debt. The added financial burden, combined with a retiring pediatric subspecialty workforce, has led to a shortage of pediatric medical and surgical subspecialists, and child and adolescent psychiatrists. As a result, families are experiencing longer wait times and travel distances for children who require specialized care, which can result in delayed diagnosis and treatment, and significantly poorer health outcomes.

Reed continued, "Every child should have access to the pediatric health services they need, especially kids with a physical, mental, or behavioral health condition that requires specialty care. This bipartisan bill would increase access to specialty care for children and improve mental health parity for kids served by the National Health Service Corps program. Without adding any extra costs, it fixes a loophole and allows licensed pediatric subspecialists working in underserved areas to apply for student loan repayments through the NHSCLRP."

The Ensuring Children's Access to Specialty Care Act will help address shortages and improve access by modifying the NHSCLRP to allow pediatric subspecialists working in underserved areas to apply for student loan repayments through the program. Currently, these providers are effectively ineligible for the program because they are completing their fellowships during the two-year window in which they would otherwise be able to apply.

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