OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Children's Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2006

Date: Sept. 28, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Entitlements and the Safety Net Health Insurance


CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL GME SUPPORT REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - September 28, 2006)

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. DEAL of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Today, I rise in support of H.R. 5574, the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Support Reauthorization Act of 2006, which is legislation to reauthorize the Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Payment Program for another 5 years.

Without question, Children's Hospitals are an integral part of this country's health care delivery system. They improve health outcomes by providing a unique set of specialized health care services and treatment options for children. The Children's Hospital Graduate Medical Education Payment Program is designed to provide financial assistance to children's teaching hospitals, which do not receive significant Federal support for their resident and intern training programs through Medicare because of their low Medicare patient volume.

By reauthorizing this important but relatively young program, we are able to help ensure that the mission of these teaching hospitals is continued.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud to say that this legislation makes improvements to the program by strongly encouraging the participating hospitals to report important new data measures to the Department of Health and Human Services.

As my colleagues are aware, we originally considered this bill under suspension of the rules on June 21, and the legislation passed by a strong bipartisan vote of 421-4. We are here today to reconsider this legislation because the Senate passed this bill with an amendment by unanimous consent on Tuesday.

This legislation will keep the important reporting requirement reforms embodied in the House bill. I encourage my colleagues to support this bill today so that we can send this important legislation to the President for his signature.

I would like to thank the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Senator Enzi of Wyoming, for his leadership and hard work in moving this bill through the Senate. I would like to thank the 20 members of the Energy and Commerce Committee who joined me as original cosponsors of the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I would also like to specifically commend Chairman DEBORAH PRYCE of Ohio and Chairman NANCY JOHNSON of Connecticut for their strong and continued leadership on this important issue.

I encourage my colleagues to support the legislation.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

http://thomas.loc.gov/

arrow_upward