Governor Healey Visits Boston Children’s Hospital, Highlights Harm Caused by Cuts to NIH Funding, Medicaid
BOSTON – Today, Governor Maura Healey and First Lady Joanna Lydgate visited Boston Children’s Hospital, a world leader in pediatric health care, to highlight how the Trump Administration’s cuts to National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding and Congressional Republicans’ proposal to cut Medicaid funding would negatively impact the care that Boston Children’s provides to sick children and the innovative research they conduct to save lives. The Governor and First Lady toured the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU), where they met with clinicians, patients and families.
“Massachusetts is proud to be home to the best health care system in the country, and that’s because of our incredible hospitals like Boston Children’s that deliver lifesaving care and innovative research every day. Joanna and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to see this work in action today and to talk directly to clinicians and families about the importance of NIH and Medicaid funding,” said Governor Maura Healey. “Right now, the Trump Administration and Congressional Republicans are trying to gut NIH and Medicaid funding, which would take away health care from babies, pregnant women, seniors and people with disabilities and halt clinical trials at Boston Children’s and institutions across the state. These actions will have real harm on the health and wellbeing of our children and will prevent doctors and researchers from doing their jobs.”
“We were deeply inspired by the strength and optimism of the families at Children’s Hospital, who remind us all what’s at stake in this moment,” said First Lady Joanna Lydgate. “Our children are so fortunate to live in a state with the best health care in the country and to be cared for by amazing doctors and nurses at hospitals like Boston Children’s. That care is at risk right now, and we will do everything in our power to protect it.”
“At Boston Children’s, our mission is clear – to improve and transform the lives of children through compassionate care, groundbreaking research, and unwavering commitment to every child, no matter their circumstance, because we believe that care is a right, not a privilege,” said Dr. Kevin Churchwell, Chief Executive Officer of Boston Children's Hospital. “That conviction drives our work every day.”
"Nearly half of all children in Massachusetts rely on MassHealth – our state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program – for their health care coverage. It's critically important that their access to care continues so we can give kids the healthiest possible start in life," said Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh. "Cuts to funding for things like medical research and grants for graduate medical education at children's hospitals are really creating a no-win situation, not only impacting research teams but harming our Massachusetts economy (which is a net contributor to the federal budget), undermining the US's world leadership in medical research, and depriving patients and families of life-saving innovations."
Boston Children’s Hospital is dedicated to improving and advancing the health and well-being of children around the world through its life-changing work in clinical care, biomedical research, medical education and community engagement. Boston Children's is ranked the #1 pediatric hospital in the world by Newsweek and among best in the nation by U.S. News and World Report. It is home to the world's largest pediatric research enterprise. It is the primary pediatric teaching hospital for Harvard Medical School. Boston Children’s treats more children with rare diseases and complex conditions than any other hospital.
Boston Children’s is the leading recipient of pediatric research funding from the National Institutes of Health, with more NIH awards than any other children’s hospital. They receive more than $200 million in NIH funding per year, including $230 million in 2024. The Trump Administration’s cuts would cut that funding in half.
Congress recently passed a budget resolution that would require severe cuts to Medicaid, which approximately two million Massachusetts residents and nearly half of the children in the state rely on for health care. Approximately 46 percent of Boston Children’s patients are covered by MassHealth, including 60 percent of patients with the most complex medical needs.
