James Davis: “More so than ever before in the history of our country Americans are outliving their savings and good health. Many of…”

“More so than ever before in the history of our country Americans are outliving their savings and good health. Many of these men and women defended our country in times of war and built our country through their hard work and sacrifice. These men and women are our parents and grandparents. Thanks to them, we enjoy a lot of the success and opportunity we have today. Many of these seniors are now in nursing homes across the country, and now it is our turn to care for them. The issue before us today is protecting Medicaid residents from being evicted from nursing homes. The issue is preventing nursing homes from draining a patient's savings dry and then kicking them out because Medicaid is needed to pay the nursing home bill. I believe that nursing home residents and their families should not have to live with fear of eviction based on how they pay their bills. It is unfair and flat out wrong that our most vulnerable and frail citizens, and their families, must worry about being evicted in nursing homes in favor of people who can pay higher rates. The bill before us today provides security for these patients and their families by ensuring that they cannot be evicted from a nursing home in favor of higher paying patients if the nursing home chooses to voluntarily withdraw from the entire Medicaid program. Very simply, Mr. Speaker, our bill will ensure that our nursing homes do not put profits ahead of patients.”