December 15, 2000

CONGRESSWOMAN PRYCE HELPS SECURE INCREASE IN FUNDING FOR CHILDREN’S TEACHING HOSPITALS
Funding Means Better Care for Central Ohio’s Children

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representative Deborah Pryce (R-OH-15) today voted in favor of H.R. 4577, the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act 2001 Conference Report, which will provide a substantial increase in funding for independent children’s teaching hospitals’ Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs. Congresswoman Pryce worked hard to secure the $235 million for children’s GME programs contained in the bill, almost $200 million more than the programs received last year.

"Today is a good day for parents, children and children’s health advocates in Central Ohio and across the United States. Children are the nation’s most precious resource and it is essential to provide increased funding for training children’s doctors," Congresswoman Pryce said. "The funding will help children’s hospitals deliver high quality pediatric care to America’s families."

"This has always been an issue of fairness. The funding is necessary to provide children’s hospitals support that is on par with that received by teaching hospitals that care for adults," Pryce added. "While I am pleased we were able to secure $235 million -- $235 million that was not there two years ago -- I will continue to fight to get the full authorized funding at the $285 million level next year."

GME costs are a significant financial concern for teaching hospitals like Children’s Hospital in Columbus. According to Pryce, the federal Medicare program provides the most significant and reliable support for GME programs. Independent children’s teaching hospitals serve virtually no Medicare patients, and therefore they do not qualify for federal Medicare GME support. If they did qualify, they would receive $285 million in federal support, an amount comparable to what other teaching hospitals receive.

Pryce played a key role last year in addressing the inequities of the Graduate Medical Education system by offering an amendment, which later became law, that authorized the children’s hospitals GME program at the $285 million level for fiscal year 2001. Earlier this year, the authorization was extended to FY2005 when "The Child Health Act of 2000" became law.

Congresswoman Pryce was also instrumental in garnering bipartisan support for the initial $40 million that independent children’s teaching hospitals received in FY2000. Pryce has been at the forefront of the effort in Congress to secure funds for physician training at children’s hospitals since 1997.

"This significant boost in children’s GME funding will help children’s teaching hospitals train physicians to address the unique health care needs of our children. Children and their bodies are very different from adults and need to be treated differently," Pryce said.

Physicians trained at independent children’s teaching hospitals include nearly one-third of the nation’s pediatricians and nearly half of the nation’s pediatric specialists.