Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time. Mr. Speaker, before I close, I want to set the record straight on one thing. There has been a report that this bill, the ACE Kids Act, expands Medicaid. That is factually incorrect. The children that qualify for the ACE Kids Act are already covered by Medicaid. There is no expansion. We do not create a new program. We do not expand an existing program. We do not change the definitions. We simply make it possible, if this bill becomes law, for parents of children that qualify and that are already covered under Medicaid, they can choose a healthcare home for their child, and that healthcare home can cross State lines. But as Dr. Burgess pointed out, it is not coercive. The States don't have to participate in the program, the families don't have to participate in the program. It is all voluntary. But the pilot programs that have been done on this model, they save money and they give better care. It has been proven. CBO has scored this over time that it saves money, but we put pay- fors in the bill. If it did cost some extra money, it would be paid for. There is a 2-quarter, 6-month increase in the FMAP, the Federal matching that the Federal Government gives to States that choose to participate. I think it is about 15 percent extra money for 6 months. That is the only cost.…”