HR0628 LRB093 15183 HSS 40779 r

1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and
3 Modernization Act of 2003 was signed into law on December 8,
4 2003; and
 
5     WHEREAS, In 2001 the United States spent $140.6 billion on
6 prescription drugs, with Medicare spending $2.4 billion on
7 prescription drugs; and
 
8     WHEREAS, The high cost of prescription drugs places an
9 extraordinarily heavy burden on elderly persons and persons
10 with disabilities who live on fixed incomes; and
 
11     WHEREAS, It remains crucial for Congress and each of the
12 state legislatures to respond to this health care crisis in a
13 timely yet thoughtful manner; and
 
14     WHEREAS, The enacted federal Medicare Prescription Drug
15 Bill does not adequately meet the needs of Illinois senior
16 citizens and persons with disabilities; it offers less
17 assistance than our current State prescription drug programs
18 offer; and
 
19     WHEREAS, The enacted federal Medicare Prescription Drug
20 Bill includes a complicated drug benefit and fails to lower
21 drug prices; and
 
22     WHEREAS, The enacted federal Medicare Prescription Drug
23 Bill will adversely affect elderly persons and persons with
24 disabilities who currently receive prescription drug coverage
25 and other benefits under the Illinois Medicaid Program;
26 therefore, be it
 
27     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
28 NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we

 

 

HR0628 - 2 - LRB093 15183 HSS 40779 r

1 call upon the United States Congress to amend the federal
2 Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act
3 of 2003, and we further urge the United States Congress not to
4 pass any measure that fails to do less for its senior citizens
5 than does the current Illinois drug prescription program; and
6 be it further
 
7     RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to each
8 member of the Illinois Congressional delegation.