Political Quotes

“I thank the gentleman from California for yielding. Mr. Speaker, one in five households with a disabled family member falls below the Federal poverty line. These families rely on home healthcare providers who are often family members of the disabled to care for them and to improve their quality of life. These providers receive modest compensation for their efforts provided by dedicated State Medicaid dollars. For decades, Federal law has required that Medicaid providers be paid directly and in full for the services they provide. However, some States, including my own home State of Washington, have been withholding union dues via payroll deductions from payments to Medicaid-subsidized home caregivers. In many cases, this is done without the knowledge or the consent of the caregiver, and it is in clear violation of the law. Now, this is no small problem. In 2017 alone, $150 million was diverted to unions from Medicaid payments to 350,000 caregivers. Fortunately, last year, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized a rule to stop this predatory practice that takes money out of the pockets of in-home providers. However, language in the bill would defund implementation of this rule and allow States to continue to circumvent Federal law. My amendment strikes section 245 of the bill to ensure that CMS can enforce the law and protect home healthcare providers from having their Medicaid payments diverted to third parties. Mr.…”