Date: 2012-02-01
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Chair. I rise with great concern about H.R. 1173. And. again. I want to make it very clear that in all the course of traveling throughout my district when the Affordable Care Act was passed in 2010. there was a great deal of emotion and celebration. I take. for example. those senior citizens who were continuously falling through the hole on Medicare part D. This particular legislation helped close the doughnut hole where seniors prescription drugs did not skyrocket. so they would not have to make a decision among their drug prescriptions or their rent or what they ate. This amendment is very clear. It simply states Congress resolves that health care is necessary for a healthy population. humane treatment of impoverished citizens. and to help reduce the budget deficit. and that longterm care insurance represents onethird of Federal and State spending on Medicaid. Its a simple statement of fact. Madam Chairwoman. and I would ask that this simple statement of fact be added to this legislation. I think it will be a positive statement. It will give us the connectedness to say that we have got to get back to the drawing boards and make sure that we have. in fact. the right kind of insurance for people in need. I cant imagine why we would want to abandon those who need longterm care. As Ive indicated. it may be a young person who faces a catastrophic illness or accident. it may be a child suffering from a chronic disease. it may be some of our friends who suffer from issues dealing with mental health. In my own community. just recently. one of our major hospitals with mental health beds was closed down. 148 beds. Who knows what will happen to those patients. some of whom actually stayed in that facility for a period of time. We know we dont have enough mental health beds and beds for those who need longterm care. suffering from conditions dealing with their mental health. My amendment is recognition of the fact that the issue of longterm care services is not going away. The enormous cost of not providing the rainyday umbrella. the cushion for families and those who are suffering from devastating disease just cannot happen. It cannot be swept under the rug. The cost curb is steep and growing. and we cannot continue to kick the can down the road. Longterm care. again. is fundamental. And so. this particular legislation acknowledges that. Forty percent of longterm care users today are between the ages of 18 and 64. as I said. While most people who need longterm care are in their seventies and eighties. as I said. many younger people are facing the horror of disability or a disability without any way of paying for it. without giving relief to their family members. Longterm care is expensive and can quickly wipe out hardworking families savings. which gives many families a Hobsons choice: spend down and wipe out years of hardworking services to qualify for Medicaid. For those of you who dont know how Medicaid works. because we want to be responsible with Federal tax dollars. you have to be down to zeroyour house has to be sold. your car has to be sold. any assets have to be sold. and everything you have goes back into the system. Well. I know there are people who believe that they want to pay part of this burden. but there are others who understand that. in addition to paying. why should they be made completely indigent? Why cant that person remain in their home. even with carewhich is another part of longterm care. It gives the opportunity for families to be together and for that individual who is injured to be able to be taken care of inside their home with a loving family but yet having the longterm care providers. This is a simple statement. I hope my colleagues will not oppose the idea that longterm care is important and that we have to respond to it by way of ensuring that we dont grow the deficit. The average lifetime longterm care spending for a 65yearold is $47.000. 16 percent will spend $100.000 and 5 percent will spend $250.000. Theres no doubt that we need relief. Nationwide. the median annual cost of a nursing home in 2010 was $75.000. room and board. in an assisted living facility. This is a crisis that will impact the debt. and. therefore. I would argue that repealing the CLASS Act without a positive statement. Madam Chair. of how important it is is tragic. I ask my colleagues to support the Jackson Lee amendment. Stand up and be counted for the value of longterm care support here in America. Madam Chair. I rise today in support of my amendment #1 to H.R. 1173. "The Fiscal Responsibility and Retirement Security Act of 2011." My amendment states. "Congress resolves that health care is necessary for a healthy population. humane treatment of impoverished citizens. and to help reduce the budget deficit. and that longterm care insurance represents onethird of federal and state spending on Medicaid." H.R. 1173 would repeal Title VIII of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and Supports (CLASS) Programa national. voluntary longterm care insurance program for purchasing community living assistance services and supports. Title VIII also authorized and appropriated funding through 2015 for the National Clearinghouse for LongTerm Care Information (clearing house). H.R. 1173 would rescind any unobligated balances appropriated to the National Clearinghouse for LongTerm Care Information. My amendment is recognition of the fact that the issue of longterm care services is not going away. It cannot be swept under the rug. The costcurve is steep and growing. We cannot continue to kick the can down the road: longterm care is fundamental. As our nations population ages. there is an increasingly urgent need to find effective ways to help Americans prepare for their individual longterm care needs. Almost seven out of ten people turning age 65 today will need some help with their activities of daily living at some point in their remaining years. Forty percent of longterm care users today are between the ages of 18 and 64. While most people who need longterm care are in their 70s and 80s. many younger people. particularly those living with a significant disability. also may need assistance. Longterm care is expensive. and can quickly wipe out hardworking families savings. which gives many families a Hobsons choice: spenddown and wipe out years of hardearned savings to qualify for Medicaid. While costs for nursing home care can vary widely. they average about $6.500 a month. or anywhere from $70.000 to $80.000 a year. And these costs are only becoming more expensive. People who receive longterm care at home spend an average of $1.800 a month. The average lifetime longterm care spending for a 65 year old is $47.000. 16 percent will spend $100.000 and 5 percent will spend $250.000. And many of these people have other expenses as well. Nationwide. the median annual cost of a nursing home in 2010 was $75.000. room and board in an assisted living facility. with no additional help. was $37.500. an attendant that provides home care and no medical tasks. like the dispensing of medication. is paid approximately $19 an hour. These expenses are left to Americas seniors and people with disabilities (and their adult children) to pay for out of pocket until their pockets are all but empty. As this body knows well. Medicare only covers shortterm and limited longterm care services. and the Medicaid safety net is only available to those who have depleted virtually all of their resources as a result of being frail or suffering from dementia. Many people are left in dire situations and are truly at societys mercy. Today. there are many Americans with disabilities who want to and are able to work and thereby maintain independence and contribute financially to their families. However. if they depend upon an attendant to drive them to their job or help them shop. use the toilet. or bathe. they must have enough additional financial resources to pay for such assistance. or have low enough incomes to qualify for Medicaid. Longterm care insurance is the most popular of the private options available. but less than 3percent of the American people have longterm care insurance. meaning there is a wide gap and acute lack of awareness. The CLASS Act sought to bridge this gap and has come up a little short. However we cannot. as a Congress. pretend the problem is going away. My amendment recognizes that longterm care must be addressed as millions of baby boomers have already begun turning 65. The aging population and the disabled need viable options for their care. Taking away a program that is intended to meet the future needs of our aging is the wrong approach. We should be focused on ways to boost our economy. providing increased access to affordable care to seniors. low income. and the disabled. and job creation. We should not be eliminating programs that aim to sustain our aging population.