Mike Thompson: “I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 971, the Medicare Independence at Home…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of S. 971, the Medicare Independence at Home Extension Medical Practice Demonstration Improvement Act. As was pointed out, it is a 2-year extension to a very important and critical component of ObamaCare. I thank Mr. Roskam from Illinois and Mr. Burgess from Texas, the two folks who coauthored the House bill with me. I appreciate them and their staff for the great work they did. According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, more than two- thirds of Medicare beneficiaries suffer from multiple chronic conditions, the care and the treatment for which account for more than a majority of the Medicare spending. These costs are expected to increase substantially with the growing population of seniors, particularly those living with multiple chronic conditions. Consequently, there is a need for programs aimed at reducing unnecessary hospital admissions and ER visits, strengthening chronic care coordination for our sickest seniors, and slowing the growth in Medicare spending. This program, the independence at home demonstration program, was created in ObamaCare to do just that. This program provides chronically ill Medicare beneficiaries with primary care services in the comfort of their homes, where they will be able to retain their independence, dignity, and quality of life. It is essential. In essence, it is doctors making house calls, a ``back to the future'' way of providing care.…”