Last year, the U.S. House of Representatives took a crucial step forward by passing two bills that address key issues in pediatric cancer care, clinical trials, and drug development. These bills represent a major milestone in childhood cancer legislation. This session, it is essential that Congress acts swiftly to pass a Childhood Cancer Package that will provide much needed support for affected children and their families.

WHAT THESE BILLS DO

The Childhood Cancer Package is comprised of two bills:

• H.R. 1509 and S. 752, the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act, seeks to eliminate unnecessary delays in accessing life-saving, specialized care. Many children with cancer need to travel out of state to receive care from specialized providers or facilities with the right expertise. Unfortunately, Medicaid and CHIP coverage limits care to in-state providers, forcing families to deal with burdensome administrative processes. This bill proposes an opt-in system that will allow out-of-state providers to enroll in Medicaid programs across multiple states, reducing delays and ensuring that children get the timely care they need.
• H.R. 1262, Give Kids a Chance Act, focuses on accelerating research and expanding access to the latest treatments. It extends critical research incentives, ensures children with cancer can access the newest therapies, and accelerates the timeline for pediatric cancer studies.

WHY THIS MATTERS

• Children with cancer often require specialized care that is not available in their home state. The current bureaucratic process for children on Medicaid leads to unnecessary delays in accessing time-sensitive care from specific providers or facilities in other states. 
• Accelerating research and expanding access to the latest cancer treatments can result in improved quality of life for young cancer patients.