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Document 32 of 286.

October 15, 2000, Sunday

SECTION: EDITORIAL & COMMENT, Pg. 3B

LENGTH: 818 words

HEADLINE: CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL MAY REAP FUNDS

BYLINE: Jonathan Riskind, Dispatch Washington Bureau Chief

BODY:

Victory for a vital Columbus institution appears close at hand amid all the political posturing, pork-barrel politics and general Washington wackiness accompanying the annual budget and spending fisticuffs between congressional Republicans and the Clinton administration.

The institution is Children's Hospital in Columbus. The apparent victory involves federal support for the medical education programs run by independent children's teaching hospitals nationwide. This could mean $ 6 million to $ 7 million annually for Children's, a crucial boost for a $ 225 million operating budget. Essentially, children's hospitals have been getting a raw deal for years over the amount of federal dollars they have received to help train pediatric residents and fellows. That's because the graduate medical education funding came from Medicare, the health- care program for the elderly.

Since there aren't a whole lot of senior citizens treated at children's hospitals, institutions like the one in Columbus got virtually no federal education dollars for the thousands of pediatricians they train annually. At Children's alone, about 475 individual residents and fellows move through the doors in a typical year. A regular hospital would get millions of dollars from the feds for that service, but not Children's.

This has forced hospitals to make "tough choices among the many needs of sick children,'' says Dr. Thomas N. Hansen, chief executive officer of the Columbus hospital.

A group of lawmakers sensitive to the needs of children's hospitals has been pushing for years to equalize federal support for graduate medical education. In Ohio, which has a number of major pediatric hospitals, many members took up the cause, including Reps. Deborah Pryce, R-Perry Township, David L. Hobson, R-Springfield, Sherrod Brown, D-Lorain, John R. Kasich, R- Westerville and Republican Sen. Mike DeWine.

Full funding was figured to be $ 285 million overall, an amount that would get Children's between $ 6 million and $ 7 million annually.

The amount was included in a child health bill last year and approved again this year, but only as a so-called "authorization.'' That means Congress says a program is deserving of aid, but no money is actually allocated unless and until it is included in the annual "appropriations'' bills. Those are what Congress is now struggling to approve and get President Clinton to sign.

Last year, a minor win was registered when $ 40 million was appropriated. Just last month, a $ 1.1 million check from that effort sailed into Children's -- not enough, but needed nonetheless.

It appeared earlier this year that funding would be jacked up to $ 80 million, and then perhaps $ 125 million.

But advocates kept plugging away. Lobbyists for children's hospitals were relentless in promoting the importance -- and fairness -- of full funding.

And guess what? Pryce said last week that she now has assurances from House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., that the full $ 285 million will be included in the final congressional version of a massive labor, health and human services and education spending bill.

Perhaps this is one of the tangible results of Pryce being the sixth- ranking House GOP leader. She was in Hastert's face day in and day out on the issue.

"I think we're in very good shape,'' Pryce said. "It's a funny thing about this business. You have to prioritize and go to bat for a couple things at a time.''

It ain't over 'til the president signs the bill, of course.

And, unfortunately, the labor, health and human services and education spending bill is a contentious piece of legislation year in and year out. Assuming the House and Senate approve it in the next week or so, it may well be vetoed by President Clinton and sent back to Congress.

Presumably the bill will have to pass at some point, but weird things can happen when lawmakers rush to get out of town before an election, especially when they're already a couple of weeks behind schedule.

Still, all signs seem positive right now.

So, the next time you think that nothing ever gets done in Washington that affects real people and their families, drive down Livingston Avenue past Children's Hospital.

Parents don't want to have to take their child there because of an illness or accident, but it's sure nice to know the best pediatric doctors around are waiting to help if needed.

"This is going to hit home,'' Pryce said. "They deserve the same level of payment for training their doctors as adult (hospitals) get.''

Kasich, who said he made the issue his top priority this year, won't celebrate until the bill containing the money is signed into law. If this indeed happens, it is because lawmakers and children's hospital advocates took a militant attitude and refused to settle for less, he said.

Jonathan Riskind is chief of The Dispatch Washington bureau.

LOAD-DATE: November 18, 2000

Document 32 of 286.


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