H.R. 1509: Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act of 2025
Enacted as part of HR7148: Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026· Feb 3, 2026
Sponsor
Lori Trahan
Democrat · MA-3
Bill Progress
Latest Action · Feb 21, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Kids shouldn’t wait on state-line Medicaid paperwork
Why it matters
If your child on Medicaid or CHIP needs a specialist in another state, paperwork can slow care even after you find the right doctor. H.R. 1509 would force states to use a simpler enrollment process for approved out-of-state providers, with a 3-year deadline to make the change.
H.R. 1509 is aimed at a narrow but painful problem: children on Medicaid or CHIP sometimes need treatment from doctors or hospitals outside their home state, especially for rare or complex conditions. The bill says states must create a streamlined way for approved out-of-state providers to enroll so they can treat those patients and get paid.
That faster track is limited. It applies to patients under 21, and only to providers already screened as low-risk for fraud, waste, and abuse and already enrolled either in Medicare or their own state's Medicaid program.
States also could not demand a full extra enrollment package if they only need basic payment information. The bill text says the process should not require more than the minimum needed to pay the provider, naming items like the provider's name and National Provider Identifier.
Once an eligible provider gets in through this process, the enrollment would last 5 years unless that provider is later terminated or excluded. The bill also extends the same approach to CHIP and gives all 50 states plus D.C. 3 years to put it in place.
H.R. 1509 Bill Summary
What H.R. 1509 actually does.
Out-of-state specialists get a faster path to payment
States would have to create a streamlined enrollment process so eligible out-of-state providers can treat, order, prescribe, refer, or certify care for Medicaid patients under 21.
States can only ask for the minimum payment information
A state could not impose enrollment or screening requirements beyond what is needed to pay the provider. The bill text names the provider's name and National Provider Identifier as examples, plus any other information the Secretary requires.
Approved providers stay enrolled for 5 years
A provider who enrolls through this process would remain enrolled for a 5-year period unless the provider is terminated or excluded sooner.
Only already-screened providers qualify
The streamlined process is limited to providers in another state who have already been screened as limited-risk for fraud, waste, and abuse and are already enrolled in Medicare or their home-state Medicaid program.
Excluded or terminated providers are barred
Providers cannot use the fast-track process if they have been excluded from federal or state health programs or terminated for specified program-integrity reasons.
CHIP follows the same rules
The bill applies the same enrollment approach to CHIP, not just Medicaid, so children in either program would be covered.
Who benefits from H.R. 1509?
Kids under 21 on Medicaid or CHIP who need rare or complex care
If the right specialist is in another state, these patients could face fewer enrollment-related delays before treatment, referrals, prescriptions, or certified services can move forward.
Parents trying to line up out-of-state treatment
Families would still need to find the specialist, but the provider's payment enrollment process should be shorter and more predictable once the doctor is already screened and enrolled elsewhere.
Children's hospitals and pediatric specialists near state borders
Providers who regularly see children from neighboring states could avoid repeating a full state-by-state enrollment process and, once approved, stay enrolled for 5 years.
Patients in states with limited pediatric specialty networks
Children in smaller or more rural states could benefit when their home-state Medicaid program can more easily pay an out-of-state specialist already participating in Medicare or another state's Medicaid system.
Who is affected by H.R. 1509?
State Medicaid agencies in all 50 states and D.C.
They would have to build the new enrollment pathway, limit extra paperwork requests, and implement the change within 3 years of enactment.
State CHIP programs
CHIP administrators would need to align their enrollment rules with the same streamlined approach for eligible out-of-state providers serving children.
Out-of-state doctors, hospitals, and clinics
They would get a simpler route into another state's Medicaid system, but only if they are already screened as limited-risk, already enrolled in Medicare or home-state Medicaid, and free of exclusions or terminations.
Program integrity staff and payment administrators
They would still need to verify provider eligibility and exclusion status, but they could no longer rely on broader state-specific enrollment hurdles for these providers.
HR1509 Legislative Journey
House: Committee Action
Feb 21, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
About the Sponsor
Lori Trahan
Democrat, Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district · 7 years in Congress
Committees: Energy and Commerce
View full profile →
Cosponsors at time of passage (104)
This bill has 104 cosponsors: 69 Democrats, 35 Republicans, reflecting bipartisan support. Cosponsors represent 34 states: Arizona, California, Colorado, and 31 more.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks
Republican · IA
Michael McCaul
Republican · TX
Jefferson Van Drew
Republican · NJ
Robert Wittman
Republican · VA
David Valadao
Republican · CA
Don Bacon
Republican · NE
Paul Tonko
Democrat · NY
Kathy Castor
Democrat · FL
Bradley Schneider
Democrat · IL
Kim Schrier
Democrat · WA
Sanford Bishop
Democrat · GA
Troy Balderson
Republican · OH
Cosponsor Coverage Map
Committee Sponsors
Energy and Commerce Committee
19 of 54 committee members cosponsored at the time
What laws does H.R. 1509 change?
2 changes
Sections Amended
Section 1902(kk) of Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(kk))
adding at the end the following new paragraph: ``(10) Streamlined enrollment process for eligible out-of- state providers
Section 1902(kk) of such Act (42 U.S.C. 1396a(kk))
inserting ``enrollment,'' after ``screening,''
H.R. 1509 Quick Facts
- Committee
- Energy and Commerce
- Chamber
- House
- Policy
- Health
- Introduced
- Feb 21, 2025
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Feb 21, 2025
Official Sources
Official bill page with status, text, sponsors, and actions for the Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act of 2025.
Official CHIP program page, relevant because the bill extends the streamlined enrollment approach to CHIP as well as Medicaid.
Official Medicaid program page providing background on the state-federal program that H.R. 1509 amends through title XIX of the Social Security Act.
Official statutory text for section 1902 of the Social Security Act, which the bill amends to add the new streamlined enrollment requirement.
Official statutory text for section 2107 of the Social Security Act, relevant because the bill makes conforming CHIP amendments under title XXI.
Federal Medicaid program integrity regulations covering provider screening and enrollment concepts that underpin the bill’s low-risk screening rules.
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H.R. 1509 Common Questions
What does H.R. 1509 actually do?
It makes states create a simpler way for certain out-of-state doctors and hospitals to enroll in Medicaid or CHIP so they can treat patients under 21 and get paid faster.
Who would qualify for this faster out-of-state care process?
Children and teens under 21 who are enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP. The bill is limited to younger patients, not adults.
Does H.R. 1509 let any out-of-state doctor sign up?
No. The provider must already be screened as low-risk for fraud, waste, and abuse and already be enrolled in Medicare or their home-state Medicaid program.
Would states still be able to demand a full extra enrollment packet?
Not for these providers. H.R. 1509 says states cannot require more than the minimum information needed for payment, such as the provider's name and NPI.
How long would an approved out-of-state provider stay enrolled?
5 years, unless the provider is terminated or excluded sooner.
Does this bill cover CHIP too, or just Medicaid?
Both. H.R. 1509 applies the streamlined enrollment approach to CHIP as well as Medicaid.
When would H.R. 1509 take effect?
The bill gives states 3 years after enactment to put the new enrollment system in place.
Has H.R. 1509 passed yet?
No. H.R. 1509 was introduced by Rep. Lori Trahan and referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee. It had 104 cosponsors in the bill metadata provided here.
Based on H.R. 1509 bill text
H.R. 1509 Bill Text
“To amend titles XIX and XXI of the Social Security Act to streamline the enrollment process for eligible out-of-state providers under Medicaid and CHIP.”
Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office
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