House Holds Hearing on Reauthorizing Children’s Hospitals GME Program

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health yesterday held a hearing on bipartisan legislation that would reauthorize the Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Program through 2023 at $330 million a year, $30 million more than the current funding level. "Children's hospitals treat very few Medicare patients; therefore, they do not receive Medicare funding to support medical training of residents," noted AHA in a recent letter of support for the legislation (H.R. 5385/S. 2597). "The CHGME program helps to offset this inequity. CHGME helps independent children's hospitals train over 45% of general pediatricians, 57% of pediatric specialists and the majority of pediatric researchers." Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Gene Green (D-TX) and Chairman Michael Burgess (R-TX) are lead sponsors on the House bill. Sens. Bob Casey (D-PA) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) are lead sponsors on the Senate measure, which passed out of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee last month.