Political Quotes

“I ask the Senator from Oregon this through the Presiding Officer. The innovation that was already in the Affordable Care Act really did address the Medicaid population, in which so much of that cost is for long-term care and nursing home care. So Medicaid equals long-term care for so many Americans. In the Affordable Care Act we accelerated the process of shifting the cost to community-based care because it is more convenient for patients and up to one-third of the cost of a nursing home. So if we keep more people in their homes, that is better innovation. In the Affordable Care Act, we incentivized States. In fact, we had 21 States take us up on that--including Arkansas, Connecticut, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Hampshire, Texas, Ohio, Nevada, Nebraska. There are many States that are doing this innovation and basically trying to move the Medicaid population to community-based care so we can save money. Savings from rebalancing could make up for a large portion of the money the House is trying to cut in this bill. Basically, they are not saving the money. They are shifting the burden to the States, instead of giving innovative solutions to people to have community-based care; that is, long-term care services and staying in their home longer. Who doesn't want to stay in their home longer? Then we support them through community-based delivery of long-term healthcare services, and we save the Nation billions of dollars.…”