[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 129 (Friday, September 21, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      AFFORDABLE HOME HEALTH CARE

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                           HON. STEVE CHABOT

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 21, 2012

  Mr. CHABOT. Mr. Speaker, states across the Nation are reducing their 
health care costs by doing something that makes a lot of fiscal and 
common sense: they are making it easier for seniors to receive care 
where they most want to be--in their homes. Washington should take 
notice. Instead of making it more difficult for home health care 
providers to operate, the Federal Government should strive to make 
these services more accessible to all seniors. After all, home health 
care is clinically advanced, cost effective, and, most importantly, 
patient preferred.
  Take my home State of Ohio as an example. Under Governor John 
Kasich's leadership, Ohio has significantly increased seniors' access 
to home health care--and, according to analysis by Miami University's 
Scripps Gerontology Center, the State is saving half a billion dollars 
a year as a result.
  I think Governor Kasich put it best when he said, that he could not, 
``think of anything more important to a senior than to be able to stay 
in their home with assistance, rather than being put in a facility that 
they are not comfortable with.'' The Governor is right.
  Mr. Speaker, as is usually the case, States are leading the way with 
low-cost, high-quality home health care. They are forging ahead with 
policies that not only save money, but deliver a better quality of life 
for our seniors. Making at home health care more accessible for seniors 
is a win-win for my State, and Washington would be wise to follow.

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