WASHINGTON, DC - Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) made the following remarks on the House floor today in support of bipartisan legislation to strengthen the health care safety net, H.R. 3253, The Empowering Beneficiaries, Ensuring Access, and Strengthening Accountability Act of 2019.
As Prepared for Delivery
Mister Speaker I rise today in strong support of this bipartisan bill that extends several key Medicaid programs. H.R. 3253: The Empowering Beneficiaries, Ensuring Access, and Strengthening Accountability Act of 2019, a bill that strengthens the health care safety net for our communities and provides long-term certainty to patients.
I’d like to thank my colleague Chairman Frank Pallone of the Energy and Commerce Committee for his partnership and willingness to work in good faith. We passed a short-term extension of these programs back in March to ensure that patients were still protected as we ironed out the details, and today we are delivering the long-term deal that I know we wanted all along.
A big priority of mine in this package is the two-year extension of the Excellence in Mental Health Demonstration program at CMS. Eight states, including my home state of Oregon, are currently participating in this pilot program, which is designed to increase access to mental health and substance use treatment services. Last year my bill-the SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act-the most comprehensive bill to address a single drug crisis in our nation’s history-was signed into law, and our committee has made major strides in addressing the substance use disorder crisis that is plaguing our communities.
The Excellence Demonstration continues that good work by increasing Medicaid reimbursement for community-based mental health and addiction treatment services, and this two-year extension for the participating states will give us the time for a full evaluation to determine the effectiveness of the program and whether it should be expanded.
Also included in this bill is an extension for the Money Follows the Person program through FY2024, which provides resources to state Medicaid programs to help individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities transition back into their communities.
We also secured an extension for what’s known as the “Spousal Impoverishment" provisions in Medicaid. To be clear, this bill actually helps keep spouses of elderly patients OUT of impoverishment and OUT of costly nursing home settings. For spouses of patients receiving home or community-based care, this bill will protect them from impractical reductions in their income or resources and ensures they can live out their lives with independence and dignity.
Finally, we clarified the authority of State Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Units that investigate and prosecute abuse and neglect of Medicaid beneficiaries. This is simply good government oversight that protects patients who are some of our most vulnerable.
In closing, I’d like to thank my good friends and colleagues on the Energy & Commerce Committee for their work on this bill - Dr. Burgess, Mr. Guthrie, Mr. Upton, and Mr. Walberg, and their counterparts on the Democratic side Ms. Eshoo, Ms. Dingell, Ms. Matsui, and Mr. Welch.
