Full Text of HJR0056 93rd General Assembly
HJ0056 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
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HJ0056 |
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LRB093 20651 HSS 46498 r |
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| HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| WHEREAS, Federal legislation (hereinafter, "the Medicare | 3 |
| drug bill") purporting to assist Medicare beneficiaries with | 4 |
| prescription drug costs was signed into law on December 8, | 5 |
| 2003; and
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| WHEREAS, The Congressional Budget Office has estimated | 7 |
| that 2.7 million retirees will lose employer coverage as a | 8 |
| result of the aforementioned legislation; and
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| WHEREAS, The Medicare drug bill will provide benefits that | 10 |
| are inferior to most employer coverage or to Illinois' Circuit | 11 |
| Breaker and SeniorCare programs; and
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| WHEREAS, Under the Medicare drug bill, millions of | 13 |
| beneficiaries without drug coverage will face higher | 14 |
| out-of-pocket drug costs, while a beneficiary with $5,100 in | 15 |
| out of pocket drug costs will receive only $1,080 in benefits; | 16 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, Prescription drug prices are far higher in the | 18 |
| United States than they are in Canada or other industrialized | 19 |
| nations; and
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| WHEREAS, Skyrocketing drug costs will rapidly erode the | 21 |
| already inadequate benefit to be provided by the Medicare drug | 22 |
| bill; and
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| WHEREAS, The Medicare drug bill prohibits the federal | 24 |
| government from negotiating with the pharmaceutical companies | 25 |
| for lower prices and effectively bans re-importation of | 26 |
| affordable prescription drugs from Canada or other nations; and
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| WHEREAS, The Medicare drug bill diverts billions of dollars | 28 |
| into subsidies for HMOs and insurance companies, |
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HJ0056 |
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LRB093 20651 HSS 46498 r |
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| discriminating against beneficiaries who choose to stay in | 2 |
| fee-for-service Medicare; and
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| WHEREAS, The Medicare drug bill increases out-of-pocket | 4 |
| costs and reduces coverage for poor seniors and disabled | 5 |
| persons who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid; and
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| WHEREAS, The Medicare drug bill lays the groundwork for | 7 |
| privatization of Medicare and elimination of Medicare's | 8 |
| program of guaranteed benefits for the elderly and disabled; | 9 |
| and
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| WHEREAS, The Medicare drug bill represents a victory for | 11 |
| special interests rather than for seniors and the disabled; | 12 |
| therefore, be it
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| RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | 14 |
| NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | 15 |
| SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we call upon the United States | 16 |
| Congress to replace the Medicare drug bill with legislation | 17 |
| that empowers the federal government to address spiraling drug | 18 |
| prices, that provides a meaningful drug benefit, and that does | 19 |
| not undermine beneficiaries' freedom of choice; and be it | 20 |
| further
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| RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to each | 22 |
| member of the Illinois Congressional delegation, to the Speaker | 23 |
| of the United States House of Representatives, and to the | 24 |
| President of the United States Senate.
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