093_HR0578
LRB093 14514 DRJ 20309 r
1 HOUSE RESOLUTION
2 WHEREAS, The United States Congress is now considering
3 the Medicare Prescription Drug Bill; and
4 WHEREAS, In 2001 the United States spent 140.6 billion
5 dollars on prescription drugs, with Medicare spending 2.4
6 billion dollars on prescription drugs; and
7 WHEREAS, The high cost of prescription drugs places an
8 extraordinarily heavy burden on elderly persons and persons
9 with disabilities who live on fixed incomes; and
10 WHEREAS, It is crucial for Congress and each of the state
11 legislatures to respond to this health care crisis in a
12 timely yet thoughtful manner; and
13 WHEREAS, The proposed federal Medicare Prescription Drug
14 Bill awaiting approval from Congress does not adequately meet
15 the needs of Illinois senior citizens and persons with
16 disabilities, because it offers less assistance than our
17 current State prescription drug programs offer; and
18 WHEREAS, The proposed federal Medicare Prescription Drug
19 Bill includes a complicated drug benefit and fails to lower
20 drug prices; and
21 WHEREAS, The proposed federal Medicare Prescription Drug
22 Bill will adversely affect elderly persons and persons with
23 disabilities who currently receive prescription drug coverage
24 and other benefits under the Illinois Medicaid program;
25 therefore, be it
26 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
27 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
28 we call upon the United States Congress to refrain from
29 passing the federal Medicare Prescription Drug Bill in its
30 current form, and we further urge the United States Congress
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1 not to pass any measure that fails to do more for its senior
2 citizens and persons with disabilities than do the current
3 Illinois prescription drug programs; and be it further
4 RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to each
5 member of the Illinois Congressional delegation.