THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA

HOUSE RESOLUTION

INTRODUCED BY COHEN, B. BOYLE, BRADFORD, CALTAGIRONE, CURRY, DALEY, DeLUCA, DONATUCCI, FREEMAN, HARKINS, JOSEPHS, M. O'BRIEN, STURLA AND THOMAS, JUNE 10, 2011

REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON INSURANCE, JUNE 10, 2011  

A RESOLUTION

Urging Congress to disapprove any plan to create premium support

payments to purchase private health insurance and oppose any

proposal to place Medicare into allotments or block grants.

WHEREAS, The Congressional Budget Office finds that premium

support payments have higher administrative costs and are more

subject to inflationary pressures than Medicare; and

WHEREAS, The Congressional Budget Office estimates costs to

premium support payment enrollees versus Medicare would find

premium support program becoming increasingly costly over time,

reaching double the costs to enrollees by 2022; and

WHEREAS, Many enrolling in premium support payments would

later find them unaffordable and would thus be without health

insurance; and

WHEREAS, Placing Medicare into allotments or block grants may

lead to states being unable to pay for health care as the need

for health care increases during the block grant period; and

WHEREAS, The Kaiser Family Foundation projects that the costs

of premium support payments and reduced funds through placing

Medicare into allotments or block grants could displace as many

as 44 million from Medicare or any health insurance; and

WHEREAS, Under premium support payments, Medicare would

probably have a higher percent of higher-risk patients as

healthier patients opting out of Medicare; and

WHEREAS, The loss of premium support enrollees would increase

the costs to those remaining in Medicare; and

WHEREAS, The historic success of Medicare in allowing low-

income people access to health care would be diminished by

premium support payments; therefore be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives urge Congress to

disapprove any plan to create premium support payments for

purchasing private health insurance instead of qualifying for

Medicare as this will lead to fewer Americans being able to

obtain health insurance; and be it further

RESOLVED, That Congress oppose any proposal to place Medicare

into allotments or block grants that would create insufficient

funds to pay health care costs of Medicare patients; and be it

further

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be transmitted to

each member of Congress from Pennsylvania.