Nursing Homes

Floor Speech

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Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, in Pennsylvania nearly 65 percent of nursing home residents rely on Medicaid.

In my district outside Philadelphia, it is a lifeline for more than 15,000 seniors who have worked and earned access to affordable, high- quality care and who deserve to age with grace and dignity.

President Trump and the Republicans' big, ugly bill will cut Pennsylvania's Medicaid program, known as Pennie, by about $53 million over the next decade.

What will happen to our parents and to our grandparents?

Some facilities may be forced to make impossible decisions like reducing staff or raising prices for those who don't qualify for Medicaid. Others simply will not survive.

I know how worrisome it is to watch aging parents need to leave the home they loved. I know how critical it is to find them the best possible care. I saw it with my own in-laws, Joan and Bill Cunnane.

After all, through Medicaid, think about it, Mr. Speaker: I was disabled and you offered me aid; I was infirm and you offered me care; I was aging and you offered me dignity.

That is what Republicans voted in lockstep to tear away. Shame.

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