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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, There are over five million individuals living
3with a pre-existing condition, over two million individuals
4enrolled in Medicare, and 3.2 million individuals enrolled in
5Medicaid in Illinois; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Attorneys General from 18 states, along with two
7governors, have filed suit in the United States District Court
8for the Northern District of Texas and obtained a ruling that
9the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional; and
 
10    WHEREAS, This ruling, if upheld by a higher court, would
11threaten the health and insurance coverage of millions of
12Illinoisans; it would cause consumer protections to vanish
13overnight and would unleash chaos in our health care system;
14and
 
15    WHEREAS, Specifically, the over five million people in
16Illinois living with pre-existing conditions like cancer,
17asthma, or diabetes could face exorbitantly high rates or be
18denied coverage all together; and
 
19    WHEREAS, Over 650,000 people in Illinois could lose their
20health care coverage through the forced repeal of the Medicaid
21expansion, the continued attacks on the Medicaid program by

 

 

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1the Trump administration through provisions such as the work
2requirement, and the potential loss of tax credit subsidies on
3the Marketplace for over 280,000 Illinoisans; and
 
4    WHEREAS, Improvements to Medicare, including reduced costs
5for prescription drugs, would vanish; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The rulings in this lawsuit could strip away
7other consumer protections enshrined within the law and
8beloved by the public, including Essential Health Benefits
9(e.g., prescription drugs, substance use treatment, maternity
10care) and the prohibitions on charging women or older adults
11more for the same policy as men or younger people; the rulings
12could also eliminate out-of-pocket expenses for many
13preventive services and protections allowing young people
14under the age of 26 to stay on a parent's health plan; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Illinoisans have shown their support of the ACA,
16including maintaining the ACA's protection for pre-existing
17conditions; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Instead of actively working to gut health
19coverage and pre-existing condition protections, Congress and
20the Biden Administration should focus on helping people gain
21access to health care coverage that they and their families
22need to stay healthy; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The ACA and Medicaid support our State in
2assuring "the health, safety and welfare of the people",
3"legal, social and economic justice", and "opportunity for the
4fullest development of the individual", all of which are
5ordained intentions of our state government noted in the
6Preamble of the Illinois Constitution; therefore, be it
 
7    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
8HUNDRED SECOND GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
9we affirm our support for the Affordable Care Act and the
10Medicaid program; and be it further
 
11    RESOLVED, That removing the protections of the ACA will
12have devastating consequences for personal health, family
13health, and community health in addition to raising health
14care costs, lowering health care access, and giving special
15tax breaks to the wealthy; and be it further
 
16    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
17delivered to the President of the United States, the U.S.
18Senate Majority Leader, the U.S. Senate Minority Leader, the
19U.S. Speaker of the House, the U.S. House of Representatives
20Minority Leader, and all members of the Illinois Congressional
21Delegation.