Grassley, Bennet Introduce Bill to Increase Health Care Access for Children

Press Release

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.

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