Political Quotes

“I am pleased to join with 35 of my colleagues tonight to introduce the Home Health Payment Fairness Act to eliminate the automatic 15-percent reduction in Medicare payments to home health agencies that is currently scheduled to go into effect on October 1 of next year. The legislation we are introducing will provide a measure of financial relief for home health agencies across the country that are experiencing acute financial problems that are inhibiting their ability to deliver much needed care to some of the most vulnerable senior citizens in our country. America's home health agencies provide invaluable services that have enabled a growing number of our most frail and vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries to avoid hospitals and nursing homes and stay where they want to be--in the comfort and security of their own home. Unfortunately, due to cutbacks in the Medicare program, home health agencies in my State and others are having a very difficult time providing services, particularly to elderly people with complex health needs. One has only to look at the statistics from my home State of Maine to see the impact of these very onerous budget cuts, as well as burdensome regulations imposed by the Clinton administration. In Maine, in just over 2 years' time, there has been a 30-percent reduction in home health visits, which has resulted in more than 7,470 senior citizens losing their home health services in my State.”