[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 83 (Tuesday, June 23, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1199]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

[[Page E1199]]



   INTRODUCTION OF THE CHILDREN'S HEALTH INSURANCE ACCOUNTABILITY ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CONSTANCE A. MORELLA

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 23, 1998

  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, I rise to introduce the Children's Health 
Insurance Accountability Act. Children are not ``little adults.'' They 
have health care needs that often require pediatric expertise to 
understand, diagnose, and treat correctly.
  This legislation recognizes the fundamental fact that children's 
health and developmental needs are different than those of adults. 
Children, therefore, should not be left out of the debate on managed 
care quality and consumer protection, as they so often are.
  In fact, the President's Advisory Commission neglected to mention 
children when it released its original ``Bill of Rights'' last fall. As 
a result, 121 organizations both nationally and at the local level co-
signed a letter to the Commission urging its members not to make the 
same mistake twice. As a result, the Commission notes in its recently 
released final report, ``Children have health and developmental needs 
that are markedly different from adults and require age-appropriate 
care. Developmental changes, dependency on others, and different 
patterns of illness and injury require that attention be paid to the 
unique needs of children in the health system.'' The Commission adds, 
``Attention to the quality of health care for children is especially 
important given their health and developmental needs and their promise 
for the future.''
  Unfortunately, many of the bills that have been introduced in the 
Congress to address various aspects of health care quality and consumer 
protection do not incorporate the special needs of children to receive 
quality care and appropriate care when needed to ensure their healthy 
development. What does this mean?
  Child-friendly health care means allowing families to pick a 
pediatrician as the child's primary care provider.
  Child-friendly health care means providing children access to a 
pediatric specialist rather than an adult specialist for a life-
threatening, disabling or chronic condition.
  Child-friendly health care means allowing families to appeal health 
plans' decisions to someone who understands the care of children, such 
as a provider with pediatric expertise.
  Child-friendly health care means ensuring that plans report 
information in a manner that is separate for both the adult and child 
enrollees using measures that are specific to each group. Health care 
cannot be ``one size fits all.'' Children need ``Straight A'' health 
plans--plans that address children's specific needs in terms of Access 
to Care, Appeals, and Accountability.
  Organizations endorsing this initiative include: the American Academy 
of Pediatrics, the National Association of Children's Hospitals, the 
National Organization of Rare Diseases, the ARC of the United States, 
Families USA, the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs, 
the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, the American 
College of Emergency Physicians, Families USA, the Children's Defense 
Fund and the National Mental Health Association.
  I share the concerns of a growing number of parents about the quality 
of their children's health care, and I will work to ensure that managed 
care recognizes children's unique health needs.

                          ____________________