April 17, 2020
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi The Honorable Kevin McCarthy Speaker of the House Minority Leader House of Representatives House of Representatives H-232 US Capitol H-204 US Capitol Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515
Dear Speaker Pelosi and Minority Leader McCarthy,
As Congress considers additional legislation to address the COVID-19 crisis, we strongly urge the inclusion of relief specifically dedicated for children’s hospitals.
While we are still learning how COVID-19 affects children, this pandemic has had a profoundly negative impact on the national network of pediatric health care providers. These hospitals treat chronically and acutely ill infants and children; provide care to children with disabilities and complex medical conditions; and also serve as hubs for specialized pediatric training and research discovery. Our nation’s children’s hospitals impact the health and well-being of every child in the U.S. and serve as the safety-net provider for millions of children.
Following the first U.S. cases of COVID-19 in January, the Surgeon General and many state governors requested that all hospitals cancel or reschedule non-urgent or elective surgical procedures to create capacity to accommodate the growing volume of COVID-19 cases, preserve necessary supplies, and ensure the safety of patients and hospital staff.
Children’s hospitals joined the national effort to support the public health crisis, but these deferred volumes have resulted in significant revenue losses and the delay in care has been distressing to parents and patients who have often waited months for an important diagnostic or therapeutic treatment. Additionally, children’s hospitals are facing new financial challenges for the nonelective treatment that has continued. This care for many of these patients cannot be delayed due to the COVID-19 response; their care must move forward on schedule in order to receive the necessary treatment for their pediatric cancer or be able to avoid facing a lifelong disability.
Unfortunately, the COVID-19 relief efforts enacted to date may provide only minor assistance for children’s hospitals—leaving the safety net providers for our nation’s children with a significant burden. Collectively, these losses for our nation’s children’s hospitals over the next several months may total over $10 billion. Much of the federal funding dedicated by Congress to provide relief for health care providers thus far has been directed through Medicare, which is not a significant program for children’s hospitals. The first allocation of funding for hospitals from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) uses Medicare revenues as the measure for assistance—virtually disqualifying children’s hospitals from receiving any aid, since the vast majority of children’s hospitals are not-for-profit, community-benefit organizations—and Medicaid, not Medicare, is the payer for more than 50% of all patient volumes. While HHS may release additional funding that is not tied to Medicare, Congress must step up to provide dedicated funding to our children’s hospitals to address their unique situation during this time.
The needs of children, and those who provide their care, must be given special consideration as we continue to address this public health crisis. Children’s hospitals cannot sustain financial losses of this magnitude without some form of federal relief funding exclusively directed towards children’s hospitals.
We stand ready to support our country’s pediatric hospitals to ensure they get the help they need. We urge you to include federal funding for our children’s hospitals as they continue to play a vital role in our nation’s fight against COVID-19 and provide the necessary care to our health system’s most vulnerable children.
We look forward to working together to protect and serve Americans of all ages during this crisis.
Sincerely,
Betty McCollum Billy Long Anna G. Eshoo Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Jaime Herrera Beutler Diana DeGette Mark Amodei Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Doris Matsui Katherine Clark Brian Fitzpatrick Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Alan Lowenthal Tim Ryan Jackie Speier Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. Marcia L. Fudge C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Gwen Moore Bill Foster David Scott Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
2
John Sarbanes Anthony Gonzalez Joe Neguse Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
David Trone David P. Roe, M.D. Juan Vargas Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Donald Norcross Ron Kind Joe Wilson Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Danny K. Davis Cindy Axne Jerry McNerney Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Greg Stanton Susan Davis Cedric L. Richmond Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Jahana Hayes Bobby L. Rush Sharice L. Davids Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Darren Soto Jimmy Panetta Mike Doyle Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Ilhan Omar Jamie Raskin Tusli Gabbard Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
John B. Larson Chris Stewart Mike Turner Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Harley Rouda Emanuel Cleaver, II Judy Chu Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Joseph P. Kennedy, III Ben McAdams Linda T. Sánchez Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Bennie Thompson Kathy Castor Angie Craig Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
3
Jim Hagedorn Sean Patrick Maloney Ed Perlmutter Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Bradley S. Schneider Joyce Beatty Bill Johnson Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Al Green Veronica Escobar Sheila Jackson Lee Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
French Hill Ted Deutch Joaquin Castro Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Lisa Blunt Rochester Don Bacon Ayanna Pressley Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
David N. Cicilline Lloyd Doggett Jim Langevin Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Rob Bishop Ann Wagner Marcy Kaptur Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Stephen F. Lynch Anthony G. Brown Will Hurd Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Mike Levin Lizzie Fletcher Daniel T. Kildee Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Adam Schiff Madeleine Dean Wm. Lacy Clay Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Raja Krishnamoorthi Kendra S. Horn Alcee L. Hastings Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
A. Donald McEachin Vicente Gonzalez Jim Costa Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
4
Robin L. Kelly Bryan Steil Jason Crow Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Steve Chabot Andy Harris, M.D. John Yarmuth Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Mark Pocan Eddie Bernice Johnson Lori Trahan Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Conor Lamb Zoe Lofgren Debbie Dingell Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Kim Schrier, M.D. Andy Levin Brenda L. Lawrence Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Chellie Pingree Tom Cole Terri Sewell Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Eleanor Holmes Norton Steve Stivers Eliot Engel Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Al Lawson Sean Casten Doug Lamborn Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
André Carson Mike Gallagher Ted W. Lieu Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. James P. McGovern John Lewis Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
J. Luis Correa Pete Olson Josh Harder Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Colin Allred Glenn Grothman Mary Gay Scanlon Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
5
Haley Stevens Jesús G. "Chuy" García Brad Wenstrup, D.P.M. Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Dean Phillips Dwight Evans Barbara Lee Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Thomas R. Suozzi Stephanie Murphy David P. Joyce Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Derek Kilmer Jason Smith Collin C. Peterson Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Steve Cohen Glenn “GT” Thompson Albio Sires Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Pramila Jayapal Dina Titus Rick Crawford Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Jack Bergman Rodney Davis Jan Schakowsky Member of Congress Member of Congress Member of Congress
Katie Porter John Rutherford Member of Congress Member of Congress
6