2026-2027 NASPGHAN Advocacy & Policy Agenda
Access to Care
NASPGHAN advocates for reducing barriers to timely, high-quality care for children with gastrointestinal and liver diseases. We support reforms to utilization management practices, including step therapy and non-medical switching that interfere with evidence-based clinical decision-making, restrictive formularies, and burdensome prior authorization requirements. This includes ensuring timely pediatric determinations, transparency, and meaningful access to peer review and fair appeals processes.
Access to health care for all children is a foundational principle of NASPGHAN’s advocacy efforts. We support policies that strengthen and expand affordable, comprehensive coverage through Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and the Affordable Care Act. Protecting and enhancing these programs are essential to ensuring equitable access to subspecialty care for all pediatric patients.
Nutrition and Prevention
NASPGHAN supports policies that promote optimal child nutrition and health, including efforts to address food insecurity and to ensure access to and coverage of nutritional services and products used in the treatment and management of pediatric digestive diseases.
We advocate for improved access to medically necessary nutritional therapies, including insurance coverage of specialized formulas critical to the management of pediatric digestive diseases. We also support expanded coverage for nutrition counseling services.
NASPGHAN promotes credible, scientific evidence as the basis for policy decisions in a manner that supports pediatric patient health, well-being, and equity.
Health Provider Workforce and Resiliency
NASPGHAN is committed to policies that prioritize the well-being, sustainability and growth of the pediatric gastroenterology workforce.
NASPGHAN supports policies that strengthen the pipeline of pediatric gastroenterologists, including reduction of administrative burden, student loan relief initiatives, and funding for medical education training. Support for international medical graduates and trainees and Medicaid reimbursement adequacy is also critical to maintaining a robust workforce.
Ensuring appropriate valuation of pediatric GI services, procedures, and emerging technologies is critical to sustaining access to care. NASPGHAN works within the GI community on coding and reimbursement policies that support the delivery of pediatric GI care.
Research and Innovation
Advancing care for children with digestive diseases depends on sustained investment in biomedical research. NASPGHAN strongly supports robust, predictable federal funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), to ensure continued scientific discovery and innovation.
NASPGHAN advocates for increased year-over-year funding to sustain the research pipeline, support early-career investigators, and maintain the infrastructure necessary for high-quality research, including appropriate funding for facilities and administrative costs.
NASPGHAN also supports policies that accelerate the development and approval of therapies and technologies for pediatric populations. This includes reducing the time from study completion to regulatory approval of medications and promoting pathways to safely and efficiently fast-track approval of devices designed for children. Ensuring timely access to innovative therapies is essential to improving outcomes for pediatric patients.
