Page 12 - 2018PHAVoterGuide
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such as nursing or therapy.  However, many elderly individuals who do not require skilled care could
        still benefit from in-home personal care services.  Greater access to in-home personal care would allow
        seniors to remain in their homes for longer, which represents a less costly alternative to staying at an
        assisted living or nursing home facility.


        District 11 – Lancaster, York (part)


        Lloyd Smucker (R) (Incumbent)

                           A top priority is to ensure that our senior citizens receive the care that they have
                           been promised and deserve. In fact, I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1825, the Home
                           Health Care Planning Improvement Act, which would allow numerous home health
                           care professionals to order home health services under Medicare, including nurse
                           practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse-midwives, and physician
                           assistants. I am also a cosponsor of H.R. 2663, the Home Health Documentation and
                           Program Improvement Act, which streamlines physician documentation requirements
                           by narrowing the circumstances in which a face-to-face encounter is required with a
                           physician so that patients may be appropriately transferred from a hospital or skilled
        nursing facility when the timing is right and not have their care plan interrupted by burdensome and
        unnecessary paperwork requirements. Additionally, I am a cosponsor of H.R. 1676, the Palliative care and
        Hospice Education Training Act, which would provide support for palliative care and hospice education
        centers to ensure our seniors receive the highest-quality health care. I firmly believe each of these
        reforms will not only result in a cost savings for the Medicare and Medicaid programs as more baby
        boomers enroll, but also improve care outcomes for seniors.


        Jess King (D)
                           We need to ensure that Medicaid remains a consistent and sustainable option for
                           working Americans who need access to healthcare, including in-home care. I would
                           oppose any attempts to privatize or ‘block grant’ Medicaid. I would also work to reverse
                           the recent tax giveaway to the largest corporations, which increases the deficit that
                           politicians then use as an excuse to cut benefits. The federal government can do more
                           to ensure Medicaid receives adequate and consistent funding.

                           I am interested in exploring proposals to expand Medicare to cover in-home
                           personal care if we can improve efficiency and lower healthcare costs across the
        board. Transitioning to a Medicare-for-all system would reduce overall healthcare costs and streamline
        administration, providing greater savings in efficiency and allowing us to potentially expand benefits.

        District 12 – Bradford, Centre, Clinton, Juniata, Lycoming,

        Mifflin, Northumberland (part), Perry, Potter, Snyder, Sullivan,

        Susquehanna, Tioga, Union, Wyoming


                           Tom Marino (R) (Incumbent)

                           The candidate did not provide a response to PHA.







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