Dr. Jen Arnold, Star of TLC’s “The Little Couple” and Neonatologist and Medical Director of the Pediatric Simulation Center at Texas Children’s Hospital
The season premiere of TLC’s The Little Couple is scheduled for December 2, 2014. The episode builds upon the Klein family’s perseverance and charm by highlighting their commitment to children’s health care needs. The family travels to Washington, D.C., to participate in the Children’s Hospital Association’s Speak Now for Kids Family Advocacy Day and in a news conference to introduce the Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act (ACE Kids Act, H.R. 4930). The bill would help coordinate care to ensure optimal outcomes for children with medical complexity in Medicaid, while also helping to contain health care costs. The advocacy day and news conference took place on June 25, 2014. The mid-term elections are unlikely to change the outlook for additional Medicaid expansion. The Little Couple season premiere airs Tuesday, December 2, 9:00 p.m. (ET/PT), 8:00 p.m. CT.
Dr. Jen Arnold, Star of TLC’s “The Little Couple” and Neonatologist and Medical Director of the Pediatric Simulation Center at Texas Children’s Hospital, says:
SOUNDBITE #1:
The issue of children with medical complexity is particularly close to our hearts as Bill and I were treated for medical complexities arising from dwarfism as children. We now travel extensively to receive care for our children’s medical complexities, also resulting from dwarfism. As a neonatologist at Texas Children’s Hospital, I also see many infants who need ongoing medical attention for their conditions and require Medicaid coverage to access all the comprehensive services to meet their care.
SOUNDBITE #2:
The A-C-E Kids Act was the focal point for THIRTY patient families from across the country, including us, and we participated in the Speak Now for Kids Family Advocacy Day back in June. The bill would allow for better care coordination for children in Medicaid through nationally designated networks that cross state lines. The networks would also employ quality standards essential to improving care and saving money. The proposed networks, backed by more than SIXTY children’s hospitals, would engage states, families, children’s hospitals and other providers.
For more about the ACE Kids Act, visit www.speaknowforkids.org or www.acekidsact.org