{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/bipartisan-casey-bill-to-protect-funding-for-childrens-hospitals-in-pa-and-across-nation-clears-senate-after-unanimous-vote", "Bipartisan Casey Bill to Protect Funding for Children’s Hospitals in PA and Across Nation Clears Senate After Unanimous Vote", "2013-11-13", "2013", "2013-11", "Democrat", "House", "PA", "Bob Casey", "C001070", "www.casey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington, DC- Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) announced that his bill to protect funding for children\u2019s hospitals in Pennsylvania and across the country has passed through the U.S. Senate unanimously. Casey\u2019s bill, The Children\u2019s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013, would reauthorize this program that provides funding for graduate medical residents in children\u2019s hospitals. The program\u2019s authorization had lapsed and securing a reauthorization will help lock in funds for these children\u2019s hospitals. In fiscal year 2011, Pennsylvania children\u2019s hospitals in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh received over $32 million in funds.\r\n\u201cI am grateful that the Senate reconfirmed our commitment to training residents in children\u2019s hospitals through the Children\u2019s Hospital Graduate Medical Education program,\u201d Senator Casey said. \u201cChildren are not little adults and this is an investment that pays dividends for children and families. I\u2019m hopeful that the House will take up and pass the bill so we can get it to the President\u2019s desk.\u201d\r\nThe Children\u2019s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education (CHGME) program provides freestanding children\u2019s hospitals with federal graduate medical education (GME) support similar to the funding that other teaching hospitals receive through Medicare. The program was first enacted by Congress in 1999 with bipartisan support, and has been reauthorized twice since then, each time again with broad bipartisan support. The program provides funding to about 55 freestanding children\u2019s hospitals in 30 states to support the training of pediatricians and other residents.\u00a0\r\nThe program has a proven track record of success and represents a high-value investment in children\u2019s health care. Prior to the enactment of CHGME in late 1999, the number of residents in children's hospital residency programs had declined over 13 percent, according to the American Board of Pediatrics. \u00a0Since the enactment of CHGME, children\u2019s hospitals have reversed this trend, increasing their training slots by 45 percent. Today, though they represent 1 percent of all hospitals, freestanding children\u2019s hospitals train over 45 percent of general pediatricians, 51 percent of all pediatric specialists and the majority of pediatric researchers.\r\nThe Children\u2019s Hospital GME Support Reauthorization Act of 2013 will reauthorize the program for five years at $300 million a year.\u00a0 The legislation also makes important changes to the program by giving the Secretary authority to include in the program a small number of freestanding children\u2019s hospitals who have been ineligible to participate in the past for technical reasons.\u00a0 First, the bill allows the Secretary to use a portion of the funds appropriated over $245 million for these children\u2019s hospitals that train pediatric providers and meet the same general qualifications as existing participants but currently do not qualify for Medicare GME or CHGME. The amount of this pool in a given year would be 25% of enacted CHGME funding over $245 million, up to a maximum of $7 million, and hospitals would have to undergo a normal application process.\r\n###\r\n\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\tPress Contact\r\n\t\t\t\t\tJohn Rizzo 202-228-6367", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.casey.senate.gov/newsroom/releases/bipartisan-casey-bill-to-protect-funding-for-childrens-hospitals-in-pa-and-across-nation-clears-senate-after-unanimous-vote"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.4559580013155937, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}