The Office of US Rep. Henry Cuellar (D-Texas) held a media conference, “Conversations with Cuellar,” to discuss National Rural Health Week, the Choose Home Care Act and border updates last Wednesday.
The Federal Office of Rural Health Policy (FORHP) within the US Department of Health and Human Services, celebrated National Rural Health Week Nov. 15-19.
As stated in its website, FORHP works to increase access to care for underserved people in rural communities.
In order to emphasize the healthcare initiative in rural places, the congressman shared the Choose Home Care Act.
“It [the Choose Home Care Act] will emphasize more to try to get care at home. Whatever needs to be done in a hospital, be done at the hospital, but you can save money and people want to be at home getting some of the care,” said Congressman Cuellar.
The act, which was introduced to the House of Representatives in late July, is a way to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve extended care services by providing Medicare beneficiaries an option for cost effective home-based extended care under the Medicare program, and for other purposes, according to Senate Bill 2562.
The bill remains in the first phase of the legislation process, according to Congress.
On the weekend of Nov. 5-11, there were more than 37,000 encounters at the US southern border – the Rio Grande Valley ports of entries held the most, with more than 11,000, said Congressman Cuellar.
As the holiday season approaches and the border open for nonessential travel, the congressman said this is a moment he’s been waiting for.
“Families on both sides are able to see each other. There were people that’d been waiting for their weddings to happen, some parents that I’ve mentioned in the past have not seen their kids since March of 2020. So, it just gets [gives] me a lot of joy that we’re able to get families together because we certainly know that the Río Bravo, Río Grande doesn’t divide us, but actually unites us,” said Congressman Cuellar.
This is Carla Landaverde for Vaquero Radio.
