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For Immediate Release
 
September 8, 2005
 
CONGRESSMAN GENE GREEN PROTECTING TEXAS:
 
DEMANDS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TAKE CARE OF MEDICAID COSTS FOR VICTIMS OF KATRINA
 
 
Houston, TX –Congressman Gene Green (D-Houston) introduced legislation to authorize the Federal Government to fully fund Medicaid benefits for Louisiana evacuees, to help relieve the financial burden imposed by sheltering victims of hurricane Katrina.  H.R. 3671 would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide 100 percent of the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) under Medicaid for out of state medical assistance furnished to hurricane evacuees during a declared public health emergency.
 
“We are known as the friendship state and this is a name we pride ourselves in,” said Congressman Gene Green.  “The State of Texas has welcomed approximately 250,000 hurricane evacuees with open arms and has taken every conceivable measure to provide them with the food, shelter and medical attention they need.”
 
“ In an effort to provide these individuals with necessary health care, the State of Texas has generously eased eligibility criteria for Medicaid enrollment,” continued Congressman Gene Green.  “Under current law, however, the State of Texas is still responsible for 39 percent of the cost of evacuees’ care under Medicaid.  In a National disaster this just doesn’t seem fair for Texas.”

On Wednesday, September 7, 2005, Congressman Gene Green authored a letter to the chairmen and ranking members of the appropriations committee in order to request that a 100 percent Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP) be applied to health care services provided under state Medicaid programs to evacuees from the regions affected by Hurricane Katrina.
 
Later that evening Congressman Gene Green introduced H.R. 3671, which would give authorization to the Secretary of Health and Human Services to provide 100 percent of the cost of Medicaid being provided to the thousands of evacuee’s that are now stationed in Texas.

“I felt that we needed to have some assurance by the Federal Government on this one,” continued Congressman Gene Green.  “If we can make sure that the cost of Medicaid will be fully taken care of I believe that there will be no red tape to cut through in the end.  We want to give the best assistance we can to our neighbors from Louisiana, but we can barely handle our own state’s Medicaid need."
 
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