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Children's Hospital Los Angeles Supports Supreme Court Ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act

  2012 JUL 20 (VerticalNews) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News --   "We support the expansion of coverage to the uninsured and the expansion of the Medi-Cal program in California," says Cordova. "Even though the ruling allows states to decide on their own if they want to expand their Medicaid program, I expect California will move ahead and implement Medicaid expansion," says Cordova, explaining that the ACA will fund the expansion in its first year before the state takes on additional responsibility.

  "We also urge the state to protect programs unique to children's hospitals, since most treat a high volume of Medi-Cal patients," he says. "Because we provide numerous pediatric specialty services for our patients, Medi-Cal reimbursements for those specialty services have to be safeguarded. That will enable us to provide the highest quality of care for our children."

  The hospital also endorses other health care provisions the court upheld with its Thursday ruling, Cordova said. The ACA instituted safeguards allowing children with preexisting conditions coverage under private insurance and permitting families to keep children on their private policies until age 26. The ruling also upholds innovations such as "no cost sharing" for preventative care, like immunizations, and protects children from yearly and lifetime caps on insurance coverage.

  "We are also pleased that temporary increases in Medi-Cal reimbursement rates for pediatricians and pediatric specialists will stay in place so we can provide appropriate care," Cordova says.

  "And finally, the court has endorsed the infrastructure to control costs while providing quality child health care," he says. "Programs like the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovations grant program will create innovative care solutions for children. Children's Hospital Los Angeles is working to provide ideas to reduce health care costs while emphasizing the need to protect child health care coverage," he says. About Children's Hospital Los Angeles Children's Hospital Los Angeles has been named the best children's hospital in California and among the top five in the nation for clinical excellence with its recent selection to the prestigious US News & World Report Honor Roll of best children's hospitals. Children's Hospital Los Angeles is home to The Saban Research Institute, one of the largest and most productive pediatric research facilities in the United States. The hospital is also ranked among the country's premier teaching hospitals, and has been affiliated with the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California since 1932.

  For more information, visit www.CHLA.org. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and LinkedIn, or visit our blog: www.WeAreChildrens.org.

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  Keywords for this news article include: Medicare, Pediatrics, Legal Issues, Health Policy, Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

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