Monthly Vitals: Your Advocacy Update

Children’s Hospital Association (CHA) works with policymakers in Congress and the administration to advocate for policies that allow children's hospitals and health systems to provide effective, patient-first care and ensure every child has access to high-quality, cost-effective health care services.

Here are the latest updates from CHA’s advocacy efforts.

Stand up for kids in year-end legislation

Pediatric hospitals continue to be flooded with children impacted by mental health crises and are bracing for another season of respiratory illnesses and other health care needs. It is critical that Congress take action before the end of the year to sustain children's hospitals' ability to provide high-quality, timely, and appropriate care. Our children and adolescents cannot wait for needed federal support.

CHA has laid out our most-pressing priorities in this letter, which asks Congress to:

Pass Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act

The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act has strong bipartisan support and passed the House of Representatives by voice vote in September 2024. We ask that you include this vital legislation in an end-of-the-year package to improve children’s access to essential health care while eliminating administrative burdens for providers and states.

Prevent Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) cuts

Hospitals are facing $8 billion in annual payment cuts to the Medicaid DSH program, which are scheduled to begin January 1, 2025. We ask Congress to act immediately to stop these cuts as they would be devastating to children’s hospitals and their ability to provide care for children.

Support CHGME

We are grateful for the robust funding Congress has proposed for CHGME and are hopeful that you can maintain this support without any policy riders as you seek to complete your work for fiscal year 2025.

Stop harmful proposals that impact children’s access to care

We ask that you consider the unique and harmful impact certain health care policies, like site neutral or attacks on 340B, can have on access to care for children.

Ensure children’s hospitals can participate in the hospital at home program

We are asking Congress to ensure children’s hospitals can participate in the Hospital at Home program so children with complex conditions can get the care they need in the best setting for them.

Support pediatrics in hurricane relief package

We hope you will include the following priorities in a hurricane relief package:

• Prioritize pediatric needs when addressing the IV fluid supply.
• Reauthorize the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Program.
• Provide $7 million (level funding) for Pediatric Disaster Centers of Excellence.
• Authorize a one-year extension of the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters (NACCD).

Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act becomes law

Thank you to Senators Durbin (D-IL) and Young (R-IN) and Reps. Bilirakis (R-FL), Soto (D-FL), Schiff (D-CA), and Carter (R-GA) for your bipartisan leadership to advance research and awareness about congenital heart defects! This legislation will ensure children will receive timely, high-quality care for congenital heart defects, save children’s lives, and improve their outcomes as they grow.

Kennedy and her teacher become 'heart-twins'

When Kennedy was only six years old, she was diagnosed with a heart defect that required open-heart surgery. Her mom brought her to AdventHealth for Children where doctors guided Kennedy and her family through every step of the surgery. Soon after Kennedy underwent surgery, she connected with an unlikely friend who was going through a similar experience. Her kindergarten teacher had a heart attack and was taken to AdventHealth for cardiac bypass surgery. Read their story and others Made Possible by Your Children’s Hospital.