Members of the Kabuki Program recently attended the Boston Children’s Hospital Children’s Advocacy Network Breakfast at the Massachusetts State House. While celebrating BCH’s 150th birthday, we took the opportunity to meet with Representative Christine Barber to share about the Kabuki Program and some recent bills and initiatives related to insurance coverage that will greatly benefit our patient community.
In particular, we went to support and speak on a new health care access act, H.991 & S612 – An Act advancing and expanding access to telemedicine services. The Roya Kabuki Program has established a telemedicine clinic that is currently available to any patient previously seen at BCH by our Kabuki Champions. This clinic option gives patient families an opportunity to access care through a virtual appointment. The telemedicine model can greatly increase accessibility to specialists while reducing travel costs and time it takes to see a provider. While insurance companies are beginning to cover telemedicine visits, there are many insurance companies that do not currently offer coverage for these types of appointments even if an in-person visit would be covered under the same plan.
We shared many patient family testimonials with Representative Barber demonstrating how beneficial this bill would be for our community, specifically for those who might be traveling from outside of the Boston and New England area. If this bill moves forward, it would require insurance coverage of virtual visits in the same manner as in-person visits. Our patients would have increased access to follow-up care with the Kabuki Champions. We thank Representative Barber for taking the time to speak with us about the Kabuki Program at Boston Children’s Hospital!
Also, we previously posted about the Advancing Care for Exceptional (ACE) Kids Act. We are very excited that earlier this month, the ACE Kids Act was signed into law! This will increase the accessibility and coordination of care for kids with complex medical conditions. ACE Kids will expand access to health care across state lines, including those families who have coverage through a state medicaid program. We are eager to see the positive impact this act will have for the families visiting the Roya Kabuki Program, and we know you are, too! BCH Government Relations is currently working with our hospital leadership to integrate this new legislation. Stay tuned for additional details to come.
A sincere thank you to all the families who have helped us support these acts by providing patient testimonials. Your voice is strong, and we are dedicated to making sure it is heard! If you would like to provide a personal testimonial about access to health care with the Kabuki Program at Boston Children’s Hospital, please contact kabuki@childrens.harvard.edu.