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HR0864 |
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LRB094 16360 HSS 51611 r |
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| HOUSE RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, American senior citizens are confused about the |
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| new Medicare drug plan; because this confusion is so prevalent, |
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| Congress should provide more time for seniors to determine the |
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| best options for their individual needs; and
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| WHEREAS, According to a poll released by the Kaiser Family |
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| Foundation, two-thirds of seniors do not know they have to |
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| choose a private prescription drug plan; one-third of seniors |
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| think they can receive their drugs through Medicare; the poll |
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| showed that 76% of seniors have never been on-line, making |
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| researching their options even more intimidating; and
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| WHEREAS, Most alarming, 63% of seniors don't know they will |
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| face financial penalties if they do not sign up by next May; |
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| and
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| WHEREAS, The Medicare Informed Choice Act of 2005 will |
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| protect seniors as they work their way through the benefit; the |
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| bill does three important things: delays the late enrollment |
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| penalties for an additional six months, providing an entire |
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| year before financial penalties will be assessed; gives every |
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| Medicare beneficiary the opportunity to make a one-time change |
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| in plan enrollment at any point in 2006, providing for |
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| correction of any mistake made in choosing a plan; and it |
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| protects employees from being dropped by their former |
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| employer's plan during the first year of implementation so that |
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| beneficiaries have time to correct enrollment mistakes; |
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| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE |
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| NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that |
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| we urge Congress to pass the Medicare Informed Choice Act of |
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| 2005 as introduced in the Senate; and be it further
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