HR0233 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0233 LRB096 03312 DRJ 24717 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Every person in Illinois and the United States deserves equal access to affordable quality health care; and

WHEREAS, Americans have identified the lack of affordable, guaranteed health care for every citizen as one of the most critical domestic problems; and

WHEREAS, Illness and medical bills contribute to 50% of all U.S. bankruptcies, affecting more than two million Americans annually, especially those without health insurance or those with inadequate health insurance coverage; and

WHEREAS, Americans already pay more per capita than any other nation for health care, almost twice the amount of other industrialized nations, yet according to the World Health Organization, this nation ranks 37th in health system performance; and

WHEREAS, The U.S. could save over $350 billion annually with an efficient, single payer national health insurance program by expanding the risk pool to the entire U.S. population, negotiating prescription drug and medical supply purchases, reducing administrative costs, and eliminating the need for administration, marketing and profits associated with private insurance; and

WHEREAS, These savings would fully offset the costs of insuring the 39 million Americans who are uninsured; and

WHEREAS, A national single payer plan restores control over medical care to the patient and the patient's chosen medical professionals; and

WHEREAS, There are an estimated 1.7 million Illinois residents who do not have health insurance coverage, of which over 279,568 are children; and

WHEREAS, The cost of providing health care to Illinois' residents has become a burden to Illinois employers, as well as Illinois municipalities and taxpayers; according to an updated estimate of the Institute of Medicine, the uninsured in our State cost our State at least $3.9 billion annually; this far exceeds the cost to provide health insurance to these uninsured Illinois residents, demonstrating the need to undertake a major overhaul and reform of the health insurance system; and

WHEREAS, Illinois hospitals spent almost $1.3 billion to provide charity care in FY 2007, and provided $383 million of free or discounted care, expenses they would no longer incur under a national health insurance program; and

WHEREAS, The State of Illinois could save nearly $2 billion per year in health benefits costs for current and retired State employees under a national health insurance program proposed under federal legislation embodied in H.R. 676, the "United States National Health Insurance Act"; and

WHEREAS, A national health insurance program would free Illinois doctors, hospitals and other medical care facilities from the consistent burdens and expenses of paperwork created by having to deal with multiple insurers with different rules; and

WHEREAS, Given Illinois' current fiscal crisis, in order to cover every Illinois resident with comprehensive health insurance, the State would have to further cut aid to local governments and other very critical State programs and services; and

WHEREAS, H.R. 676, sponsored by Congressman John Conyers and 93 co-sponsors, would assure comprehensive coverage to include, but not be limited to, hospital, physician, prescription drugs, vision, hearing, dental, chiropractic, mental health, drug rehabilitation, and long term care services for all Illinois and U.S. residents, would protect the doctor-patient relationship, would assure patients a completely free choice of doctors, and would allow physicians a free choice of practice settings; and

WHEREAS, H.R. 676 has the endorsement of 34 out of 50 statewide chapters of the AFL-CIO and 110 Central Labor Councils nationwide; and

WHEREAS, This House believes that both controlling health care costs and ensuring health care for all residents is of vital importance; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we respectfully urge the United States Congress and the President of the United States to enact H.R. 676, pending in the 110th Congress, which provides universal health insurance coverage for all individuals residing in the United States and its territories; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be transmitted to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Speaker and Minority Leader of the United States House of Representatives, the President and Minority Leader of the United States Senate, and every member of the Illinois Congressional delegation.