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Pallone Remarks at Children’s Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program Reauthorization Hearing

May 23, 2018

Energy and Commerce Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) delivered the following opening remarks today at a Subcommittee on Health hearing on "Reauthorization of the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Program:"

Every parent understands how stressful it can be when your child gets sick and how important it is to have a trusted provider to turn to in those moments. That's why it's critical that we continue to invest in the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program. Over the years, CHGME has helped to build a more robust pediatric workforce so that children across the country have access to quality care for the most common to the most severe health conditions.

Currently more than half of pediatric specialists and close to half of all general pediatricians trained are supported by CHGME funds. In addition to training, CHGME funds help to enhance hospitals' research capabilities so that we can develop new cures and treatments for some of the terrible diseases afflicting kids today. CHGME hospitals also play an important role in providing care to vulnerable and underserved children.

While this program has helped us reverse declines in our pediatric workforce, we know that some areas of the country still face shortages of pediatric providers; mainly pediatric subspecialists. These shortages severely impact care and lead to longer waits and at times significant travel for children seeking care. Pediatric specialists care for some of the sickest children in the nation and help them live longer, healthier lives—we need to do all we can to make sure every community has adequate access to these specialized providers.

CHGME has long been a priority of mine. I was pleased to lead the last reauthorization of the CHGME program with former Health Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts. The last reauthorization made some important changes to the program that have since allowed new hospitals to receive CHGME funds. It also allowed for HRSA to create a quality bonus system for the program and I look forward to the agency's continued implementation of that system.

I'd like to thank Ranking Member Green and Chairman Burgess for introducing bipartisan, bicameral legislation to reauthorize this vital program. H.R. 5385 would reauthorize the program for another five years and allow for the program to support even more residents than it currently does. I'm hopeful that we will move this legislation through our Committee in the near future so that we can provide certainty to hospitals that are doing this much needed training.

Thank you to the witnesses for joining us today, I look forward to your testimony.

I yield the balance of my time.

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Issues:Health