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                                                      PRINTER'S NO. 2468

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA


HOUSE RESOLUTION

No. 398 Session of 2005


        INTRODUCED BY WALKO, DeWEESE, COHEN, BELARDI, BELFANTI,
           CALTAGIRONE, CORRIGAN, DERMODY, GEORGE, GOODMAN, HARHAI,
           KIRKLAND, KOTIK, LEACH, LEVDANSKY, MANDERINO, MARKOSEK,
           McCALL, PETRARCA, RAMALEY, READSHAW, SAINATO, SHANER, STURLA,
           TIGUE, WOJNAROSKI, SANTONI AND McGEEHAN, JULY 2, 2005

        REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, JULY 2, 2005


                                  A RESOLUTION

     1  Calling upon the President and Congress of the United States to
     2     reconsider cuts to the Medicaid program.

     3     WHEREAS, More than 53 million Americans rely on the Medicaid
     4  program for their health care and prescription drug coverage;
     5  and
     6     WHEREAS, In the most recent recession, millions of Americans,
     7  including more than 1 million Pennsylvanians who otherwise would
     8  have been without health insurance, had health care and
     9  affordable prescription drug coverage under the Medicaid
    10  program; and
    11     WHEREAS, Cuts in the Medicaid program will impair
    12  prescription drug coverage and diminish the program's ability to
    13  meet the growing health care needs of our most vulnerable
    14  Americans, including children, elderly persons and persons with
    15  disabilities; and
    16     WHEREAS, Medicaid funds support services provided by public

     1  hospitals, home health care providers, community-based care
     2  providers and nursing homes and provide access to preventative
     3  and primary health care services for children; and
     4     WHEREAS, While recognizing the need to address rising health
     5  care costs in the United States, we must also consider that the
     6  overall growth rate of Medicaid is lower than that of private
     7  health insurance premiums; and
     8     WHEREAS, Deep cuts in Medicaid funding or spending caps would
     9  shift billions of dollars of health care costs to state and
    10  local governments at a time when states are already struggling
    11  with skyrocketing prescription drug costs, an increase in demand
    12  for services and a fast-growing senior population; and
    13     WHEREAS, States need reliable and consistent Federal Medicaid
    14  funding to sustain their Medicaid programs, and reducing or
    15  capping Federal funding would be a policy move in the wrong
    16  direction; therefore be it
    17     RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the
    18  Commonwealth of Pennsylvania oppose changes that would convert
    19  the Medicaid program into a block grant or otherwise impose
    20  spending caps on Federal funding, thereby reducing funding to
    21  the states; and be it further
    22     RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives call on the
    23  President and Congress to support a 2005-2006 Federal budget
    24  proposal that protects the current funding structure of the
    25  Medicaid program in order to continue meeting the vital health
    26  care needs of our most vulnerable Americans; and be it further
    27     RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to
    28  President George W. Bush, to the presiding officers of each
    29  house of Congress and to each member of Congress from
    30  Pennsylvania.
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