Save Medicare Home Health Act

Floor Speech

Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today as a cosponsor of the Securing Access Via Excellence, or SAVE, Medicare Home Health Act, legislation introduced by my colleagues Mr. Walden and Dr. Price to replace the cuts to Medicare home health funding under the President's Affordable Care Act with a value-based purchasing program.

Home health care allows the ill and disabled to access essential care services within the home setting and enables our seniors to have more control over health care decisions.

The Affordable Care Act cuts Medicare home health by 14 percent by the year 2017. This will have a devastating impact on a large portion of the 3.5 million Americans who receive these services, including more than 143,000 in Pennsylvania. Of equal concern, these cuts could result in the loss of thousands of jobs for caregivers and health professionals.

The SAVE Medicare Home Health Act will achieve the same level of savings in the Medicare program. Rather than indiscriminately cut this funding, this legislation protects beneficiaries' access to home health by making these services more effective and cost efficient.

I urge my colleagues to cosponsor this legislation. America's seniors deserve as much.

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