Full Text of SR1701 100th General Assembly
SR1701 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The passage of The Patient Protection and | 3 | | Affordable Care Act, often shortened to (ACA), has
given | 4 | | millions of middle class Americans the health care security | 5 | | they deserve; it is slowing the growth
of health care costs and | 6 | | it has brought transparency and competition to the health | 7 | | insurance
marketplace; and
| 8 | | WHEREAS, The ACA represents the U.S. healthcare system's | 9 | | most significant regulatory overhaul and
expansion of coverage | 10 | | since the passage of Medicare and Medicaid in 1965; increased | 11 | | coverage has
been due to an expansion of Medicaid eligibility | 12 | | and to major changes to individual insurance markets; the law | 13 | | also enacted a host of delivery system reforms intended to | 14 | | constrain healthcare costs and
improve quality; and
| 15 | | WHEREAS, As a result of the ACA, 850,000 people in Illinois | 16 | | gained health insurance coverage from 2010
to 2015; the | 17 | | coverage gains include all the avenues that the ACA created, | 18 | | including Medicaid expansion,
which Illinois implemented; and | 19 | | WHEREAS, In 2018, 334,979 people enrolled in plans through | 20 | | the Illinois exchange during open
enrollment; and | 21 | | WHEREAS, In addition to the coverage gains via Medicaid |
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| 1 | | expansion, there were more than 253,000
people receiving | 2 | | subsidies to offset the cost of their private coverage in the | 3 | | Illinois exchange in 2017,
and nearly 150,000 receiving | 4 | | cost-sharing subsidies (cost-sharing reductions); both of | 5 | | those subsidies
continue to be available in 2018; and | 6 | | WHEREAS, Up to half of all Americans have a pre-existing | 7 | | condition - that is, health problems that
insurance companies | 8 | | previously used to deny coverage to new customers; and | 9 | | WHEREAS, One of the most important components of ACA was | 10 | | prohibiting health insurers from charging
more, denying | 11 | | coverage, or limiting benefits to an individual because of a | 12 | | pre-existing health condition
like asthma, diabetes, or | 13 | | cancer; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, Once health insurance is obtained, insurers | 15 | | cannot refuse to cover treatment for a pre-existing
condition; | 16 | | and
| 17 | | WHEREAS, Efforts are currently underway to reverse the | 18 | | progress to provide affordable healthcare for
all Americans; | 19 | | and
| 20 | | WHEREAS, A repeal of the ACA's individual mandate, passed | 21 | | as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017,
will not further |
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| 1 | | the cause of affordable healthcare in the United States, | 2 | | particularly for those with preexisting
conditions; and
| 3 | | WHEREAS, Eliminating the individual mandate by itself | 4 | | likely will result in a significant increase in
premiums, which | 5 | | would in turn substantially increase the number of uninsured | 6 | | Americans, including
those with pre-existing conditions; | 7 | | therefore, be it
| 8 | | RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE ONE HUNDREDTH GENERAL | 9 | | ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we urge the U.S. | 10 | | Congress not to enact any law that would prevent individuals | 11 | | with pre-existing conditions from having access to affordable | 12 | | health care; and be it further
| 13 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 14 | | delivered to President Donald Trump, U.S. Senate Majority | 15 | | Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck | 16 | | Schumer, U.S. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, U.S. House of | 17 | | Representatives Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, and all members | 18 | | of the Illinois Congressional Delegation.
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