[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 87 (Thursday, May 23, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3112-S3113]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BLUNT (for himself and Mr. Reed):
  S. 1659. A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for 
the participation of pediatric subspecialists in the National Health 
Service Corps program, and for other purposes; to the Committee on 
Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
  Mr. REED. Mr. President, I am pleased to be joining Senator Blunt in 
introducing the Ensuring Children's Access to Specialty Care Act.
  According to the American Association of Child and Adolescent 
Psychiatry, there are currently only 8,300 child and adolescent 
psychiatrists (CAPs) in the United States--many of whom are not 
practicing full time--far short of the estimated need of over 30,000 
CAPs. On average, patients wait almost two months to see a CAP, a 
startling concern given that the incidence rates of mental illness and 
behavioral disorders among children in the United States continue to 
grow. Fifty percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness begin at 
age 14; seventy-five percent by age 24.
  The National Health Service Corps Loan Repayment Program (NHSCLRP) 
was created by Congress over forty years ago to help recruit and place 
trained individuals in underserved communities to provide needed health 
care services. Licensed health care providers may earn up to $50,000 
toward

[[Page S3113]]

student loans in exchange for a two-year commitment at an NHSC-approved 
site, within two years of completing their residency. Accepted 
participants may serve as primary care medical, dental, or mental/
behavioral health clinicians.
  NHSCLRP provides critical relief to physicians who have completed 
pediatrics or psychiatry residency training programs; however, 
pediatric subspecialists, such as child and adolescent psychiatrists, 
are effectively barred from participating due to the extra training 
these physicians are required to take after completing their residency. 
This extra training, which often results in increased student debt, 
typically consists of a fellowship that takes place in the two-year 
window of eligibility for NHSCLRP. The creation of NHSCLRP preceded the 
expansion of many pediatric subspecialties, not taking into account the 
extra years of training required for these physicians.
  The Ensuring Children's Access to Specialty Care Act would correct 
this loophole and allow pediatric subspecialists practicing in 
underserved areas to benefit from the NHSCLRP. By so doing, this bill 
would increase access to specialty care for children and improve mental 
health parity for children.
  Providers across the spectrum of care support this bipartisan 
legislation including: the American Association of Child and Adolescent 
Psychiatry, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Arthritis 
Foundation, Children's Hospital Association, March of Dimes, and the 
National Alliance on Mental Illness. I look forward to working with 
these and other stakeholders as well as Senator Blunt and our 
colleagues to pass the Ensuring Children's Access to Specialty Care Act 
in order to help ensure children have greater access to the health care 
they need.
                                 ______