Today U.S. Reps. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) and Energy and Commerce Chairman Emeritus Joe Barton (R-TX) introduced the bipartisan Advancing Care for Exceptional (ACE) Kids Act to improve the coordination of care for children with complex medical needs, while containing costs. The “medical home” model is based upon an innovative clinic started at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in Tampa 14 years ago. A Senate companion will also be introduced and Florida Senator Bill Nelson is an original cosponsor. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor sent the attached letter today to U.S. HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell urging rigorous federal oversight of the State of Florida’s egregious, systematic failures to provide adequate health services to children enrolled in Medicaid. Last week, a U.S. Federal District Court ruled that Florida knowingly denied access to medical care to children enrolled in Medicaid in violation of federal law. U.S. Rep. Castor also criticizes Florida Gov. Rick Scott’s decision to squander millions of taxpayer dollars on lawyers to fight the ruling rather than spend the money on essential health services to children. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor announced that the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which passed the U.S. House of Representatives today, includes a pay increase for servicemembers, important new investments for special operations, authorizes replacement of the Air Force’s KC-135 tankers with new KC-46 aerial refueling tankers, and provides significant polices for MacDill Air Force… Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) announced today that the University of South Florida received the largest “navigator” grant in the nation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to assist families and consumers shop and enroll in the health insurance marketplace. Read more »

Citing statistics they called alarming, health officials urged Pinellas County parents to vaccinate their children against the sometimes deadly human papilloma virus, or HPV. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) announced today that two Tampa Bay organizations are recipients of Healthy Start grants for a five-year cycle to fund initiatives that reduce infant mortality rates in Tampa and South St. Petersburg. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Tampa/St. Petersburg, FL) announced today that Tampa Family Health Centers is one of only two recipients in Florida to receive a $250,000 grant through the Affordable Care Act to fund facility enhancements to support the Patient-Centered Medical Home model. Read more »

Today, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor hosted Dr. Anne Schuchat, the top immunization specialist in the nation, who warned that while recent outbreaks of diseases have garnered international attention, we cannot forget about those that can actually be prevented, such as HPV, but still are causing thousands of deaths each year nationwide. A vaccine is available to boys and girls to prevent HPV and the cancers they may cause. Read more »

By U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor published in The Tampa Tribune on July 31, 2014 You and your employer should check the mailbox this summer for health insurance rebate checks. For the third year in a row, rebate checks from health insurance companies are on their way to customers. This is thanks to a provision of the Affordable Care Act that requires insurers to spend the majority of premiums… Read more »

A new report shows the health reform law has helped to extend the life of the Medicare trust fund, in addition to improving Medicare overall. Read more »