WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senators Michael Bennet (D-CO) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) this week introduced legislation to 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 burdensome, delaying children and their families from receiving the care they desperately need, and in some cases, preventing all access to care.

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, while at the same time, safeguarding important program integrity processes. This would help reduce the red tape and regulatory burdens that delay care.

“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,” Bennet said. “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.”

"At Children's Hospital Colorado, we treat children from nearly all 50 states every single year. I applaud Senators Grassley and Bennet for introducing this important legislation to make it easier for children with serious healthcare needs to receive the care they need across state lines. This is a common sense bill that leverages existing federal resources to allow institutions like ours to serve children on Medicaid in a streamlined and efficient manner,” CEO of Children’s Hospital Colorado Jena Hausmann said.

“Children on Medicaid, particularly children with medically complex needs, often face challenges accessing needed care across state lines. By streamlining the enrollment procedures for out of state providers, this bill will relieve administrative burdens and make it easier for kids to receive care in a more timely and efficient way,” President and CEO of Children’s Hospital Association Mark Wietecha said.