Community Care Day, our third Lobby Day event of the 2017 Legislative Session, was held at the Texas Capitol in Austin this past Wednesday. Fourteen providers from across the state of Texas gathered to visit key legislative offices about the state budget, underfunding in Community Care programs, and issues in Medicaid Managed Care and Electronic Visit Verification (EVV).
Advocates met early in the morning to get an update on key legislation and the state of the Texas budget. As you probably know, the budget climate is very difficult this year for the state of Texas with most advocacy groups hoping to stave off potential cuts. In addition, the Senate budget and House budget are over 6 billion dollars apart.
In addition to funding, TAHC&H is advocating for support of SB 1776 and HB 3982 which address Medicaid Managed Care and EVV efficiencies. We are also reminding legislators that Community Care is significantly underfunded - up to 19-21% depending on the program. With additional funding, providers could improve patient care and pay their workers better to maintain a strong workforce. Look out for action alerts on these key issues coming soon!
Together on Community Care Day, our group visited with over twenty-five legislative offices, including several members of the Texas House of Representatives! There were many new faces and some seasoned home care advocates to show them the ropes. Overall, the meetings were positive with much appetite to address Electronic Visit Verification.
View the photos on our facebook page. If you participated in Community Care Day, please complete our anonymous survey and send your photos to socialmedia@tahch.org. Thanks to everyone who participated!