HR0844 96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0844 LRB096 19673 GRL 35076 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives continue to work toward the development of health care reform legislation, which would seek to address the number of uninsured Americans and the escalating costs of the nation's health care system; and

WHEREAS, Both health care reform proposals, which have separately passed the U.S. Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, would impose Medicare cuts for services provided to elderly citizens, estimated at roughly $500 million; such cuts raise access to care concerns for individuals dependent on Medicare for health insurance coverage; and

WHEREAS, Cost-effective home-based services for the elderly are targeted for $55 billion in reductions by the provisions favored by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, representing 12.5% of the proposed Medicare cuts, even though such services represent only 4.5% of Medicare spending; and

WHEREAS, Proposed expansions of Medicaid eligibility will add to the unsustainable growth and payment backlogs that face the Illinois Medicaid program, thereby placing additional pressure on medical providers already facing reductions in Medicare payments; and

WHEREAS, Accompanying Medicaid regulations place additional restrictions on measures that states may implement to contain costs in order to keep Medicaid programs solvent; and

WHEREAS, Payroll tax increases and taxes on privately-purchased health care would be imposed in an attempt to mask the $930 billion cost of new programs and coverage expansions contained in the proposed health care reforms; and

WHEREAS, The provisions passed by the United States Senate under the direction of Majority Leader Harry Reid place the federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in charge of regulating and administering the health plans that would be marketed to the uninsured; public employees unions have raised concerns about the OPM's ability to meet current responsibilities while undertaking the new requirements; and

WHEREAS, The Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution states that, "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people"; and

WHEREAS, Individual states have developed a system for regulating the health insurance market focused on the unique characteristics of each state, including consumer protections and regulatory matters meant to ensure the solvency of insurance providers; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the members of the United States Congress to not institute the creation of healthcare reforms which reduce funding for Medicare, impose new payroll and private health insurance taxes, limit the states' abilities to effectively manage Medicaid programs, and/or infringe on the 10th Amendment to the United States Constitution; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be presented to the members of the Illinois congressional delegation, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, and the President of the United States.