HR0148 99TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0148 LRB099 09687 GRL 29896 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Medicare Rights Center (MRC) published "Medicare: A National Treasure for Forty Years" (2005); the Medicare program was created as part of the Social Security Amendments of 1965, and the program will celebrate its 50th anniversary on July 30, 2015; and

WHEREAS, The MRC's findings are still valid, to wit: the Medicare program has become a national treasure, reflecting the nation's commitment to the health and independence of older Americans and Americans with disabilities by providing health care coverage to 45 million people; and

WHEREAS, The original design of the Medicare program - its universality, shared risk, simplicity, and dependability - created the foundation for its 50 years of success; Medicare's universal nature ensures that virtually all older Americans and many people with disabilities receive the health care they need, while Medicare pools risk in order to share the financial burdens of illness across healthy and sick individuals and affluent and low-income families; for 50 years, Medicare has guaranteed coverage for a defined set of benefits at a uniform and predictable cost to all seniors and to people with disabilities regardless of their income, health status, or where they live and has dramatically improved the quality of life for millions of individuals; and

WHEREAS, Among the most important reasons to celebrate the past 50 years of Medicare are: (1) guaranteed access to care for people with Medicare; (2) improved quality of life for older Americans and people with disabilities; (3) administrative efficiency and cost containment; (4) critical support for America's healthcare system; and (5) guaranteed benefits and choice of providers; and

WHEREAS, Prior to Medicare, only half of older adults had health insurance; private insurers were unable or unwilling to provide comprehensive, affordable health care coverage to the growing aged population, who were either too old or too sick and therefore too high an insurance risk; through the guarantee of Medicare coverage, the federal government established protections for all people with Medicare that ensure that everyone - including those battling costly illnesses - have access to covered services; and

WHEREAS, Medicare is the second largest source of federal spending for HIV care and treatment, and approximately one out of every five HIV-positive Americans receiving regular medical care depends, at least in part, on the Medicare program; and

WHEREAS, Medicare has also improved access to care in other ways; for example, Medicare was, and continues to be, instrumental in reducing disparities in access and coverage for racial and ethnic minority groups; and

WHEREAS, A 2001 survey demonstrates that people with Medicare are generally more satisfied with their health care than are persons under age 65 who are covered by private insurance; people with Medicare report fewer problems getting access to care, greater confidence about their access, and fewer instances of financial hardship as a result of medical bills; Medicare creates access to health care across many dimensions: access to physician services; access to necessary care; and reduced financial barriers to care; older Americans with Medicare experience comparatively fewer financial barriers to care; and

WHEREAS, By the year 2030, 20% of the U.S. population - 77 million people - will be eligible for Medicare, compared to the 14% of Americans who are Medicare-eligible today; while Medicare gives all Americans a sense of security knowing their parents, grandparents, friends and neighbors can access the health care they need, before long the next generation of Americans will need to count on Medicare too; and

WHEREAS, Thanks to Medicare, millions of Americans are able to afford life-saving care, but Medicare also improves the quality of life for older Americans in other ways; for example, Medicare is also a social safety net that has lifted millions of people out of poverty; in fact, since Medicare was created in 1965, poverty among the elderly has been reduced by nearly two-thirds; by financing health care services, Medicare safeguards beneficiaries and their families from the ruinous costs of medical treatments and prevents individuals from spending unmanageable proportions of their incomes on medical care or being pushed into poverty by their medical bills; in addition, life expectancy has increased by three years and more people are living past the age of 85 than ever before, while disability rates among the elderly are decreasing; with improvements in Medicare coverage for preventive services, such as breast and prostate cancer screening, and advances in care management for people with chronic conditions, further reductions in morbidity and disability can be expected; and

WHEREAS, Equally important in assessing Medicare's success is Medicare's cost-effectiveness; Medicare has consistently contained health care costs better than private health plans; analysis of cumulative spending over a 30-year period further illustrates Medicare's ability to control costs over time; Medicare has been able to accomplish this cost-containment record, in part, by using its resources more efficiently, assessing the clinical effectiveness of services when making coverage decisions and when setting payment rates for certain services; and

WHEREAS, Medicare's payment structure supports the United States' health system infrastructure; for example, Medicare supports the nation's teaching hospitals and educational opportunities for health care professionals, through enhanced payments; by supporting graduate education for physicians and other providers, Medicare benefits all Americans, whether or not they are covered by Medicare; Medicare also provides extra support to hospitals that serve a disproportionate number of low-income patients and to rural hospitals, which are often more heavily dependent on Medicare reimbursement than other facilities; Medicare also provides enhanced payments to rural health clinics and Federally Qualified Health Centers in medically underserved areas to ensure that care is available for vulnerable people; and

WHEREAS, Medicare is the largest single payer for services provided by the 7,000 home health agencies nationwide; moreover, Medicare is an essential part of the entire U.S. economy as well as a pillar of the health system; and

WHEREAS, Medicare is simple, popular and reliable; seniors are very satisfied with the Medicare program; Medicare's success is related to the unparalleled choice and availability of physicians and health care services that it offers people; and

WHEREAS, Medicare has served Americans well; it is equally available to all seniors and to people with disabilities, regardless of health or financial status, and realizes the right to health care for many of America's most vulnerable individuals; Medicare continues to symbolize a rational, just and systematic approach to health care access for all Americans; and

WHEREAS, The enactment of the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act of 2003 (MMA) has prompted significant changes to the Medicare program; the MMA established a new outpatient prescription drug benefit - Medicare Part D - for people with Medicare coverage, and replaced Medicaid drug coverage with the new Part D program for people who receive health coverage from both Medicare and Medicaid; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we celebrate the past 50 years of Medicare and urge the United States Congress to make sure that the millions of seniors and Americans with disabilities who rely on it will be able to enjoy its dependability and simplicity in the years to come; Medicare's successes to date should guide future changes to the program, so that it can continue to ensure access to care, improve quality of life, support the health care system, and enjoy broad support among the people whom it helps every day; and be it further

RESOLVED, That strengthening Medicare and improving the Medicare Part D drug program should be a vital part of any reform of the American health care system; and be it further

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