Genevieve Preer and Chén Kenyon testified in February before a joint session of the Massachusetts House and Senate Ways and Means Committee on the proposed 2010 budget for Health and Human Services for the state. They emphasized the importance of maintaining valuable services for poor children even in the setting of tough economic times, and the risk of creating two standards of care if private and public reimbursement rates continue to diverge. Their remarks were well received by the legislators and led to a follow-up op-ed by the two residents in the Boston Globe.
Chén also recently spent a month in Washington, DC at the Legislative Office of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). In addition to attending many of the Senate and House hearings on health care reform, he represented the AAP at meetings on various topics including the makeup of the current and future healthcare workforce, priorities for comparative effectiveness research and quality improvement in pediatrics, and he created briefing materials for congressional members for proposed legislation on generic biologic drugs, among other activities. This opportunity is available as an elective to second and third year residents and involves a brief application to the AAP. Contact Chén with any questions or for further information on how to apply.
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