Issues

A Focus on Child Health
As advocates for children, we have a responsibility and an opportunity to advocate on behalf of issues affecting children and families in Florida.

Miami Children's Hospital is at the forefront of important legislative issues that may affect children, including:

Federal Legislative Priorities

Health Care Reform: The enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 marks the beginning of the most active federal health policy period since the enactment of Medicare, Medicaid and several public health service programs in the mid-1960s. Congress provided the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) with broad authority in implementing the health care reform bills and “bending the health care cost curve” through health system reforms. The legislation also established the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which will have a significant role in overseeing Medicare payment rates , and funded the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC). Implementing health reform is likely to dominate congressional as well as administration efforts in health care over the next four years. Congress will revisit the legislation for “technical” corrections or broader changes, depending on the outcome of legal and political challenges.

Medicaid Reform Proposal: OPPOSE any changes to the federal portion of the Medicaid program, including any efforts at block grants of the federal share and any Florida 1115 waivers that could result in detrimental changes in eligibility and benefits for Florida's Medicaid beneficiaries. PPPOSE budget efforts to reduce federal funding for Medicaid.

Let Congress Know that Medicaid Matters to Children's Hospitals by following this link: http://capwiz.com/nach/issues/alert/?alertid=7194006&type=TA

Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME): SUPPORT efforts by the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) to reauthorize the CHGME program, created by Congress in 1999.

State Legislative Priorities

Medicaid Reimbursement Rate Cuts: Miami Children's Hospital is one of two free-standing acute-care children’s hospitals in Florida. We treat children in all 67 counties throughout Florida. We are a safety net hospital for childr4n and many times are the only provider for the specialized services that many children with serious illnesses require. Miami Children’s Hospital treats a disproportionately high number of Medicaid Children. Specifically 64% of Miami Children’s patients are insured by Medicaid HMO’s, Provider Service Networks (PSN) Children’s Medicaid Services (CMS) or Healthy Kids. Miami Children’s existing high percentage of Medicaid patients, combined with the current Medicaid reimbursement, which is 20% below the actual cost of providing care, make it clear that any reduction to Medicaid will significantly impact our hospital. More importantly, it will adversely affect the children and families who turn to these facilities for care.

Medicaid Reform Proposal: OPPOSE any changes to the Florida Medicaid program that result in the capping of needed health care benefits for children, jeopardizes access to critical health care services for children and their families, and fails to address the underlying causes of health care cost increases, such as the high cost of prescription drugs, increased demand for long term care and the large number of working uninsured.

Pediatric Subspecialist Increase: REAUTHORIZE the reimbursement increase to pediatric subspecialists that the legislature authorized at the end of the 2004 legislative session and ensure that the increase is reoccurring.

Trauma Funding: MAINTAIN the State Trauma Network appropriation of $700,000 annually and PARTICIPATE in the efforts of the Alliance to Save Florida's Trauma Care to acquire a long-term funding solution to the statewide trauma issue.

For further information on any of these issues, send an email to advocacy@mch.com or call 305-666-6511 ext. 2826.

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