Doggett Opening Statement at Health Subcommittee Hearing on Post-Acute Care
(As prepared for delivery)
This hearing is focused on what happens to Americans after the hospital. It’s an important topic—one that the Republican agenda is undermining at every turn. Their plan is to take the nurses out of the nursing homes as they promise to repeal what I consider to be extremely modest minimum nurse staffing standards. After giving private equity-backed nursing home operators carte blanche to reduce care and slash staffing in the fashion of Musk’s Department of Government Evisceration, Republicans intend to enact nearly a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicaid.
You cannot talk about access to post-acute care without talking about Medicaid. It is the primary payer for this care, covering two-thirds of all nursing home residents and 60% of all home and community-based services. It pays for long-term support for 9.3 million seniors and people with disabilities.
After repealing minimum staffing requirements, Republicans intend to cut the funds that pay for nurses and ensure our most vulnerable loved ones are not left on the hook for a nursing home stay that can cost $100,000 a year. Their post-acute care plan amounts to a prescription for a mountain of medical debt and a preventable death sentence for some.
Last week, I heard from one concerned Austinite who resides in a nursing home. Her closest family member lives in Florida, and she has no means to travel there or pay for her nursing home if Medicaid is slashed. She understandably told me “I’m very afraid.” Many adult children have written me, concerned about their parents who suffer from dementia and Alzheimer's. Unable to personally provide the 24/7 care they require, these individuals don’t know how they can ensure their parents’ health and well-being without Medicai
Similarly, I have heard from parents of children with a variety of complex medical conditions and disabilities who require home health aides, costly therapies, and eventually may need to reside in assisted living or a nursing home when their parents are gone. They seek assurance that their children will live with the dignity, health, and support they deserve.
The only thing I am sure of is that if enacted, this budget plan will hurt these individuals. The independent Congressional Budget Office confirmed that last week. After setting aside Medicare spending, which Republicans have promised not to touch, though the trillions they would add to our national debt endangers the long-term stability of the program. But setting aside direct Medicare spending, 93% of the funds under the jurisdiction of the Energy & Commerce Committee come from Medicaid. Of the remaining 7% of funds, over half are from the Children’s Health Insurance Program.
No matter how you slice it, the Republican budget demands cuts that will harm seniors, individuals with disabilities, and children. All to further enrich Elon Musk, fossil fuel executives polluting our planet and our health, and the many other limousine lobbyists who have deep pockets to advocate for them while our most vulnerable have no lobby.
Under this budget, we don’t just have to worry about what happens after the hospital. There will be acute need everywhere, widespread. Millions of people are at risk if Medicaid is cut. I look forward to hearing from our witnesses.
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