Kendra S. Horn: “today I introduced H.R. 2953, which is legislation to extend and make social health maintenance organizations a…”

“today I introduced H.R. 2953, which is legislation to extend and make social health maintenance organizations a permanent part of Medicare+Choice. It is an important benefit option helping seniors maintain a healthy lifestyle longer in their own homes. As such, it represents a fiscally sound approach to managing our long-term health care needs in this country, and I urge all of my colleagues to support this important legislation. I am fortunate to represent one of the four social HMOs that were approved as part of the initial Medicare demonstration project in 1985. This effort, called the Seniors Care Action Network, or SCAN, provides coordinated personal and health care to more than 50,000 Medicare beneficiaries in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino Counties in southern California. The concept actually originated more than 20 years ago when a group of seniors in my district became frustrated with how difficult it was to get both personal care and health care services. The principle underlying SCAN is that some individuals, although relatively happy and healthy, may need some outside assistance to remain in their homes.”