On March 28, I was given the opportunity to tell members of Congress that our nation’s future greatly depends on the quality of health care we provide to our children today. And although I was nervous – it being my first time to testify before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee – I drew resolve from the knowledge that I was representing 75 million children whose health care is directly affected by the decisions that Congress makes. So I took a deep breath and told members of the Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies (of the House Committee on Appropriations) about why they should continue to support the training of pediatricians and pediatric specialists in children’s teaching hospitals.
You and I know that this a reasonable investment to sustain, but funding for the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program is decided by Congress anew each year, even though Congress itself created CHGME way back in 1999. As the demand for pediatric providers began to outstrip the supply, Congress recognized that the absence of dedicated graduate medical education funding created gaps in the training of pediatricians and pediatric specialists, which threatened children’s access to care. So Congress established CHGME so that children will have an adequate supply of pediatric providers, and for 10 years CHGME has delivered on that purpose.
Despite the success of this program and its proven benefits, there have been recent threats. President Obama in his proposed 2012 budget provided no funding for the program. Late last year, however, Congress appropriated $268 million for the program. In February, President Obama’s budget recommended $88 million for CHGME -- a positive step in that the president recognized the importance of the program, but the recommendation still fell far short of what we need to maintain a robust pediatric workforce. Thus, I was very pleased to be able to speak with members of the subcommittee about the importance of CHGME, and illustrate why the program should receive $317 million in 2013.
Congress now knows that approximately 60 percent of residents at children’s hospitals that receive CHGME are trained in general pediatrics. CHGME has also increased the number of pediatric providers and improved children’s access to primary and specialty care. The program enables children’s teaching hospitals to train 45 percent of all pediatricians and 50 percent of all pediatric specialists. Finally, the CHGME program has accounted for more than 74 percent of the growth in the number of new pediatric specialists being trained nationwide.
Even though Congress is in the midst of budget cutting and faces increased fiscal pressure, we are in fact asking for more funding. Why? Because of two linked facts that together present a cloudy future for our children’s health care:
- Today, children face long waits for needed services. A survey of children's hospitals released in January of 2010 revealed that shortages in pediatric specialties including neurology, general surgery, pulmonology, and other specialties were adversely affecting patients timely access to care.
- The population of children is growing. According to the Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics, a collection of 22 Federal government agencies involved in research and activities related to children and families, in 2010 there were 74.2 million children in the United States, 1.9 million more than in 2000. This number is projected to increase to 87.8 million in 2030.
This could spell disaster for children’s access to care. That is why I was so eager to tell Congress to support CHGME. You can help in this effort too – visit the Children’s Hospital Association’s Legislative Action Center to send a letter to your members of Congress. Join their mailing list for updates and information on issues affecting our kids. Finally, visit Speak Now For Kids to learn other ways to get involved.
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