November 29, 2016
The following statement is from Rachel Hammon, executive director of the Texas Association of Home Care & Hospice in response to Texas Speaker Joe Straus’ comments at the Texas Tribune’s TribLive event earlier today:
“We are very grateful to Speaker Straus for his leadership and comments regarding his desire to restore the funding cut from the budget for Medicaid Acute Care Therapy services for our state’s medically-fragile kids and seniors.
“Despite categorical statements that 'all kids in need of therapy will continue to receive care,' we have seen that disabled children in Texas have already lost care. As the state moves to further implement these cuts on December 15, as they announced yesterday, more kids are tragically going to lose access to medically necessary therapy critical to their health, development and well being.
“We thank the Speaker for his leadership and efforts to restore budget dollars for services that save taxpayer dollars by preventing hospitalizations and unnecessary high-cost care and help assure that kids in need continue to have access to therapy services.”
Update: Following this press release, the Austin-American Statesman released an article where TAHC&H executive director Rachel Hammon is quoted. View the article in full here.