“I’m grateful that advanced medical
procedures and disease management strategies have improved life expectancy for
children with complex medical needs. These exceptional developments have
resulted in a clear need for improvements to assist vulnerable children and
their families. That’s why I’ve worked hard to provide patients with better
health outcomes through the Advancing Care for Exceptional (ACE) Kids Act.
“Signed into law in 2019, I’m thrilled
that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has met the
deadline of October 1 to implement this legislation. I’m looking forward to
states utilizing this new home health option and CMS working to approve state
plans, and I urge CMS to continue their partnership with states and
stakeholders on this effort.
“Families will face less red tape on
their road to getting the quality care they need. Children with complex medical
needs see five to six specialists and up to as many as 20 to 30 allied health
professionals, so helping parents navigate the bureaucracy is a much-needed,
commonsense policy. While I will continue to monitor the new policy to ensure
it’s carried out and works as Congress intended, I’m optimistic that it will
cut red tape, begin to lower costs, reduce emergency room visits, improve
outcomes and provide these families with peace of mind,” Grassley said.
“We are excited to mark the
implementation of the ACE Kids law that will help improve coordinated,
specialized care for children with complex medical conditions,” said Mark Wietecha, CEO of Children’s
Hospital Association. “ACE Kids will help supply data-driven insights
identifying areas in which to improve the quality of care, removing barriers to
access, and streamlining services. Children with medically complex conditions
and their families deserve integrated and coordinated high-quality care, and we
look forward to working with states to provide it.”
Grassley and Sen. Michael Bennet
(D-Colo.)
reintroduced the ACE Kids Act
in February 2019. Under Grassley’s leadership as then-chairman of the Finance
Committee, the bipartisan legislation
sailed through Congress and was
signed into law
just two months later. This year, as the statutory deadline for implementation
by October 1, 2022 approached, Grassley and Bennet sent a
letter to CMS pushing for an
update on
ACE Kids Act implementation. Last month, Grassley and Bennet
praised CMS for issuing required guidance, showing the agency was on track for
timely implementation.
The ACE Kids Act allows children
with medically-complex conditions to choose to enroll in a health home – if a
state Medicaid program permits – in an effort to improve care coordination and
health outcomes. Specifically, this law helps CMS and state Medicaid programs
align rules and reimbursements to reduce unnecessary hospitalizations and provide
better care coordination for children with complex medical needs.
The legislation was supported by over 30
organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart
Association, the American Physical Therapy Association, the Children’s Hospital
Association and March of Dimes.
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