HJ0048 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0048 LRB099 11319 KTG 31950 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Senior members of Congress are seeking major changes to the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) when the program's funding expires in September 2015; and

WHEREAS, Their proposal, labeled a "discussion draft" for legislation, is being circulated by Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah, chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance; Representative Fred Upton of Michigan, chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee; and Representative Joe Pitts of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Subcommittee on Health; and

WHEREAS, The legislative proposal would reduce federal financing of CHIP for families with incomes above 250% of the federal poverty level and eliminate federal help for those with incomes above 300% of the federal poverty level; and

WHEREAS, The legislative proposal would also eliminate an increase in the federal matching rate for CHIP that is scheduled to go into effect in 2016 in all states; and

WHEREAS, The legislative proposal could deprive more than a million children of insurance or force their families to pay higher out-of-pocket costs for their coverage; and

WHEREAS, The legislative proposal threatens to undermine the progress made in reducing the number of uninsured children, gains that came from enrolling more children in Medicaid and in CHIP, which covers children whose families earn too much to qualify for Medicaid; and

WHEREAS, The legislative proposal would eliminate the Affordable Care Act's requirement that states keep the family-income eligibility levels stable until 2019; and

WHEREAS, The legislative proposal could make it more difficult for families to prove their eligibility; and

WHEREAS, Faced with a loss of federal funds for CHIP, as suggested in the legislative proposal, many states would probably shrink their CHIP programs and reduce their own financial contributions; and

WHEREAS, The legislative proposal would also eliminate a requirement that states enroll children who are just above the poverty line in Medicaid; and enable states to move them from Medicaid back to CHIP, where enrollments are often limited by budget caps; and

WHEREAS, The legislative proposal would allow states to impose a 12-month waiting period (up from the current 90 days) before children who lose coverage from a parent's insurance plan can be enrolled in CHIP; and

WHEREAS, By contrast, bills introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate would extend federal CHIP financing for the next 4 years and essentially continue the program along current lines; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge all members of the Illinois congressional delegation to support legislation which would extend federal financing for the Children's Health Insurance Program for the next 4 years and continue the program along current lines and to oppose legislation which would restrict children's access to health care; and be it further

RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be delivered to the Governor, the members of the Illinois congressional delegation, and President Barack Obama.