Nurses care for 82-year-old Carmen Gracia when her children are away at work.

“For one or two months while my children are away working,” Gracia said in Spanish.

Medicaid that pays for Gracia’s healthcare. She said she does not know what she would do without it.

“Well, who knows,” she said in Spanish.

The government program that Gracia and so many other seniors depend on is facing cuts in funding.

Texas State Senator Eddie Lucio, Jr. (D-Brownsville) said lawmakers are working to make sure services aren’t affected.

"We want to make sure that if we're going to cut, we're going to cut things other than health and human services,” Lucio said.

The state senator visited a nursing home in Weslaco on Thursday.

He said he’s going to fight against cuts in Medicaid funding and give a voice to those who may not have the strength to use it anymore

"It's time for us to pay them back by showing them the love and compassion that they deserve,” Lucio said.

The state senator said Medicaid cuts could especially hurt South Texas seniors who are often very poor.

"We have a tremendous amount of seniors in this area of the state and many of which have no place to go,” he said.

For now, Lucio said he will go back to Austin, letting lawmakers know what Medicaid means for local seniors.

wow, cool story man. thanks for the heads up.

I am glad you agree. My mom is an LVN and see a nothing but medicade/medicare patients. She is mexican and her parents were illegal.

but

she says it time to stop all this free care stuff. half of her patients come to their "homes" for the visit and leave when she does back to mexico.

ha