ACE Kids Act Becomes Law

Statement

The president signed U.S. Representative Jaime Herrera Beutler's bipartisan Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act (ACE Kids Act) into law late last week. Her bill was included in a broader Medicaid improvement package, H.R. 1839. ACE Kids Act helps improve the coordination of and access to high quality care to ensure optimal outcomes for children with complex medical conditions on Medicaid.

"This health care solution to benefit low-income children has been a long time coming, and I couldn't be more proud to finally have it signed into law. Now, tens of thousands of low-income kids who suffer complex medical diagnoses like cancer or congenital heart disease will have an easier time accessing the life-saving treatment they need. Families should be able to pursue the best doctors and facilities for their kids, regardless of where they live or how much they make -- and with the ACE Kids Act finally becoming law, that's now a reality for more of them," Herrera Beutler said.

Herrera Beutler has been championing this bipartisan legislation since 2014.

Medically-complex kids on Medicaid:

About 300,000 children in the U.S. who depend on Medicaid suffer from "medically complex" diagnoses like cancer, congenital heart disease, Down syndrome, or others that require consistent care and medical expertise. Although children who have complex medical conditions represent a small percentage of kids in Medicaid, they account for a large portion of the costs.
Most children with complex medical conditions need to receive care from multiple specialized pediatric providers who often are located at different clinics and hospitals, including in different states. The ACE Kids Act encourages the creation of more health homes for these children and their families that better coordinate care, save precious time, money and lives. Outside studies have found that, through care coordination, the ACE Kids Act will save families and taxpayer money through a less fragmented and burdensome system of care for children and families.

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