Dear Ms. Burwell:
On behalf of organizations dedicated to improving the health and well-being of children and adolescents,
we write to thank you for your consistent support for the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment
Program, a provision of the Affordable Care Act, and to request that you again include it in the
President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget. The number of pediatric medical subspecialists, pediatric surgical
specialists, and pediatric mental health specialists today is inadequate to meet the growing health needs
of America’s children. While we were disappointed that the program did not receive funding in Fiscal
Year 2014, we are encouraged at the progress made with its first-time inclusion in a committee-passed
appropriations bill. We respectfully request that the Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program,
Section 775 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 295f), be recognized as a critical priority and
strongly urge the Administration to again request $5 million for the program in Fiscal Year 2015.
There is not only a shortage but a significant disparity in the geographic distribution of pediatric
subspecialists trained to treat children with special health care needs, resulting in many children in
underserved areas not receiving timely or appropriate health care. Children and their families often face
long waiting lists to see subspecialists or must travel long distances to find needed care. According to a
2012 survey conducted by the Children’s Hospital Association, appointment wait times for certain
pediatric subspecialty care far exceed the prevailing benchmark of two-weeks in children’s hospitals.
The survey showed that the average time for a developmental pediatric specialist is 14.5 weeks, 8.9
weeks for neurology, and 7.5 weeks for child and adolescent psychiatry. Children’s hospitals also
reported extended vacancies, 12 months or longer, for certain pediatric subspecialist positions, which
contribute to the difficulty of accessing pediatric subspecialty care in a timely manner. Wait times
outside children’s hospitals can be much longer. When timely access to pediatric specialty and
subspecialty providers occurs, the result is better outcomes. Longer lag times between symptom onset,
including mental illness, and treatment may not only result in poorer outcomes, but also in greater costs
to patients and the health care system.
…
Read full letter here
