PA AAP members rallied at the Pennsylvania State Capitol in Harrisburg on Monday, June 2, 2025 to advocate for Medicaid and CHIP protections for children in Pennsylvania, as well as discussing concerns regarding expanded scope of practice for CRNPs and the legalization of adult-use recreational marijuana.

PA AAP Vice President, Toni Richards-Rowley, MD, FAAP; Secretary/Treasurer, Gabe Cisneros, MD, FAAP; and members Priscilla Mpasi, MD, FAAP and Leslie Anderson, MD, spoke in our press conference with Representative Kyle Mullins and Representative Bridget Kosierowski.

If you are a PA AAP member, you can use our Advocacy Action Center to email your legislators about our Advocacy Day priorities.

• Protecting Medicaid and CHIP Coverage for Pennsylvania's Children
  • Medicaid and CHIP are lifelines for children and families across Pennsylvania. Of all children in Pennsylvania, 47% rely on Medicaid or CHIP. Children that rely on these programs are equally found in Pennsylvania’s rural areas as well as urban areas. Not only do Medicaid and CHIP provide medical, behavioral health, and long terms care for children, but it is a smart long-term investment in children. Children that are enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP miss fewer school days, are more likely to graduate from high school, and grow up to be healthier adults. Coverage has countless benefits to child health including timely access to care, early identification of issues, and emergency care that can help avoid hospitalizations and preventable death. The PA AAP supports all efforts to protect access to Medicaid and CHIP for children, especially in working class families, as it is critical to maintaining access to health care.
• Opposing Independent CRNP Scope of Practice Expansion
  • PA AAP supports increasing access to health care and believe in a team-based model of care that protects quality and safety for children, particularly in high-risk specialties. Independent CRNP practice without meaningful physician involvement focused on rural Pennsylvania threatens patient safety does not help to solve rural access problems. Currently two bills, SB 25 and HB 1490, are being considered during this legislative session that expand on previous independent practice bills and can threaten the safety of patients. 
• Opposing Legalization of Adult-Use Recreational Marijuana
  • PA AAP opposes HB 1200 and any additional legislation regarding the legalization of adult-use recreational marijuana. The impact on children's health is significant with a large increase in ingestions of cannabis (particularly edibles) in children.