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[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E354-E355]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
MEDICAID SERVICES INVESTMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2019
______
speech of
HON. ANNA G. ESHOO
of california
in the house of representatives
Monday, March 25, 2019
Ms. ESHOO. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1839, the Medicaid
Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019. I'm very
[[Page E355]]
pleased the House is considering this bipartisan, bicameral legislation
to extend and authorize important Medicaid programs that serve
medically complex children, seniors, and people with disabilities,
mental health and substance use disorders.
I'm especially proud that H.R. 1839 includes the ACE Kids Act. ACE
Kids is the product of years of extensive work by my colleagues, former
Congressman Joe Barton and Congresswoman Kathy Castor. This bill will
improve care for the sickest children enrolled in Medicaid, which is
the backbone of our health care system for these children. Children
with complex medical conditions require a large amount of health
services which are expensive and difficult for families to coordinate.
The ACE Kids Act aims to better coordinate this care while reducing
overall Medicaid spending. Each state's program will be specifically
tailored to fit each child's needs and will provide families with a
care coordinator. It is based on existing programs that save money
while decreasing hospital visits and improving care. This legislation
has broad bipartisan support and was passed by the House last December
by a vote of 400 to 11. I urge all Members of the House to support it.
This bill also extends spousal impoverishment protections for
recipients of home and community based services in Medicaid. These
important protections ensure that spouses of Medicaid patients do not
have to spend down their own assets for the Medicaid beneficiary to
qualify for home and community based long term care services. Home and
community based long term care services are critical to meeting the
care and treatment needs of Medicaid beneficiaries, but spouses should
not have to risk impoverishment for their loves ones to access these
important services.
H.R. 1839 authorizes additional funding for the Money Follows the
Person demonstration which has been successful in transitioning
Medicaid beneficiaries out of institutions into community settings. The
bill also extends the Excellence in Mental Health demonstration for two
states to provide mental health services in community settings.
Evidence shows that keeping patients in their communities and out of
institutions improves outcomes, and I'm pleased to support extensions
of these critical programs to ensure that patients can access services
in the best setting for their needs.
The bill offsets these important extensions by closing loopholes that
drug companies have exploited to misclassify their drugs and receive
inappropriate rebates on their products. It also makes changes to
third-party liability in child support, and denies federal funding for
penis pumps in Medicaid.
I'm grateful that this bipartisan, bicameral legislation is being
considered today to strengthen the Medicaid program for children with
complex medical conditions, seniors, and people with disabilities,
mental health and substance use disorders and I'm very proud to support
it.
____________________
