Full Text of HR0445 100th General Assembly
HR0445 100TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, On May 5, 2017, the United States House of
| 3 | | Representatives passed H.R. 1628, otherwise known as the
| 4 | | American Health Care Act (AHCA); and
| 5 | | WHEREAS, In March of 2017, the Congressional Budget Office
| 6 | | estimated that 24 million people would lose their health | 7 | | insurance if
the AHCA were passed and implemented; of those 24 | 8 | | million
people, 14 million are currently covered by Medicaid, | 9 | | which the
AHCA would also slash by approximately $880 billion | 10 | | over 10 years,
putting some of the poorest and most vulnerable | 11 | | citizens at
great risk; and
| 12 | | WHEREAS, As a result of passage of the AHCA, Illinois could | 13 | | face a loss of $40 billion in federal Medicaid funding over the | 14 | | next 10 years, affecting over one million Illinois residents | 15 | | who currently have coverage under the Affordable Care Act; and | 16 | | WHEREAS, Currently, Illinois is ranked 50th in the nation | 17 | | for capturing federal Medicaid dollars, putting the State in an | 18 | | extremely vulnerable position and unable to absorb more costs | 19 | | from the federal government; and | 20 | | WHEREAS, The AHCA also allows states to waive community | 21 | | rating,
which bans insurers from charging higher premiums to |
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| 1 | | those with
pre-existing conditions and would result in much | 2 | | higher premiums
for people with pre-existing conditions; and | 3 | | WHEREAS, As a result of waiving the ban on pre-existing
| 4 | | conditions, the cost of insurance will increase for people with
| 5 | | pre-existing conditions such as cancer, diabetes, arthritis,
| 6 | | autistic disorder, seizures, asthma, kidney disease, and
| 7 | | children with disabilities; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, The AHCA also has a provision letting states waive
| 9 | | essential health benefits such as outpatient care, emergency
| 10 | | services, hospitalization, pregnancy, maternity, newborn care,
| 11 | | mental health, substance use disorder services, and pediatric
| 12 | | services; and | 13 | | WHEREAS, Waiving of essential benefits puts mothers and | 14 | | children
at severe risk of losing coverage as plans on the | 15 | | individual
market can once again decide not to cover maternity | 16 | | care as a
result of the AHCA; and | 17 | | WHEREAS, The law would also adopt a policy known as "per | 18 | | capita cap" for Medicaid that would replace the current funding | 19 | | mechanism, and rather than matching state spending, the AHCA | 20 | | would give each state a set amount of money per person and | 21 | | place specific caps for differing populations such as people | 22 | | with disabilities, the elderly, and other at-risk populations; |
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| 1 | | and | 2 | | WHEREAS, As a result of placing a cap on spending, people | 3 | | with disabilities who rely on home and community-based services | 4 | | through Medicaid, such as personal-attendant care, skilled | 5 | | nursing, and specialized therapies could lose access to the | 6 | | services they need in order to live independently and remain in | 7 | | their homes; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, The AHCA also places the elderly at risk; as | 9 | | states continue to see rising populations as a result of the | 10 | | baby boom generation, implementing a per capita cap on spending | 11 | | may restrict a state's ability to keep up with demand for | 12 | | services, resulting in premature institutionalization, lack of | 13 | | services, and reduced quality of life for our seniors; and | 14 | | WHEREAS, The AHCA poses a threat for persons with substance | 15 | | abuse disorders; the opioid crisis in Illinois has placed a | 16 | | heavier burden on the State's Medicaid program and has resulted | 17 | | in an immense need for increased services; a per capita cap | 18 | | will limit the State's ability to leverage additional monies in | 19 | | times of crises or epidemic, further hampering the State's | 20 | | ability to be responsive to the needs of its most vulnerable | 21 | | populations during the most critical times; and | 22 | | WHEREAS, The law allows states to impose work requirements |
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| 1 | | on those applying for Medicaid, which has not been proven to | 2 | | increase employment among the poor and will meaningfully reduce | 3 | | access to care for low-income families; and | 4 | | WHEREAS, Medicare is a federal health insurance program | 5 | | that
currently pays for a variety of health care expenses for | 6 | | senior
citizens aged 65 and older and people with certain other
| 7 | | qualifying conditions only; and | 8 | | WHEREAS, Medicare currently insures over 55 million | 9 | | Americans,
and nearly everyone over age 65; in Illinois alone, | 10 | | over two
million people receive Medicare benefits; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, There have been recent legislative efforts at the
| 12 | | federal level to expand Medicare for all persons in the United
| 13 | | States, not just those currently eligible which would provide
| 14 | | coverage for all medically necessary services, including
| 15 | | doctor visits, hospital care, prevention programs, long-term | 16 | | care, mental health, reproductive health care, dental, vision,
| 17 | | prescription drug, and medical supply costs; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, Children (unmarried and under age 22) can only | 19 | | receive
Medicare if they are disabled or have a qualifying | 20 | | condition and
make up less than 7% of the current population of | 21 | | people on
Medicare; and
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, Expanding the federal Medicare program to those | 2 | | who need care the most can be a positive step to strengthen our | 3 | | nation's commitment to improving the health and safety of all | 4 | | Americans and reduce the risk of cuts posed by the AHCA to | 5 | | those that are most vulnerable; therefore, be it
| 6 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 7 | | HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | 8 | | strongly urge the federal government, the United States | 9 | | Congress, and the President of the United States to oppose the | 10 | | American Health Care Act and to expand the federal Medicare | 11 | | program for people most in need especially children, women, and | 12 | | those with pre-existing conditions, that are put at extreme | 13 | | risk as a result of passage of the American Health Care Act; | 14 | | and be it further
| 15 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be | 16 | | delivered
to the Illinois Congressional Delegation, the United | 17 | | States
Congress, and the President of the United States.
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