08-R074
2008 -- H 7268
Enacted 02/27/08
H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
IN SUPPORT OF H.R.
506 ENTITLED "THE HEALTH PARTNERSHIP THROUGH CREATIVE FEDERALISM ACT"
Introduced By:
Representatives Kennedy, San Bento, Picard, Williams, and Lewiss
Date Introduced: January
29, 2008
WHEREAS,
The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the number of Americans without
health
insurance in 2006 increased to more than 47 million people—representing a five
percent
increase
from 2005; and
WHEREAS,
A majority of health insurance plans are regulated by the federal
government
through Medicare, Medicaid, or the “Employee Retirement Income Security Act of
1974”
(ERISA); and
WHEREAS,
Such an expanded federal role in health insurance has diminished the role
of
the states in regulating insurance and impeded state efforts to address the
uninsured; and
WHEREAS,
Individual states would enact the necessary reforms should Congress heed
the
advice of former Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis and approach state
legislatures as
“laboratories
of democracy"; and
WHEREAS,
Though faced with federal obstacles, in 2006 state legislatures in
Massachusetts
and Tennessee enacted comprehensive health insurance reforms designed to
improve
access and affordability of health insurance in their respective states; and
WHEREAS,
Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Congressmen Tom Price (R-
GA)
and John Tierney (D-MA) have introduced bipartisan legislation H.R. 506, The
Health
Partnership
Through Creative Federalism Act; and
WHEREAS,
H.R. 506 would provide federal “State Health Expansion and Improvement
Grants”
to states to develop and implement innovative comprehensive health insurance
reform
proposals
to address their respective uninsured populations; and
WHEREAS,
H.R. 506 is designed “to break the Congressional logjam regarding health
care
reform and provide for innovation in health care through state initiatives that
expand health
care
coverage,” according to its sponsors; and
WHEREAS,
H.R. 506 would permit states to seek exceptions to otherwise applicable
federal
statutes, regulations, and policies, including ERISA; and
WHEREAS,
H.R. 506 would encourage states to implement a variety of reform options,
including,
but not limited to tax credit approaches, expansions of public programs such as
Medicaid
and the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), health savings
accounts
(HSAs),
high risk pools, single-payer systems, and purchasing pool arrangements similar
to the
Federal
Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP); and
WHEREAS,
H.R. 506 was cosponsored by 74 members of Congress including 39
Democrats
and 35 Republicans as of October 5, 2007; and
WHEREAS,
A substantially similar bill, S. 2772, The Health Partnership Act, has been
introduced
in the Senate by Senators George Voinovich (R-OH) and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM);
now,
therefore be it
RESOLVED,
That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island and
Providence
Plantations hereby joins the National Conference of Insurance Legislators
(NCOIL)
in
support of H.R. 506/S. 2772, The Health Partnership Through Creative Federalism
Act, and
urges
members of Congress to take action on the proposal and help states address the
number of
uninsured
Americans; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That this House joins NCOIL in commending Congresswoman Tammy
Baldwin,
Congressmen Tom Price and John Tierney, and Senators George Voinovich and Jeff
Bingaman
for their leadership in developing and promoting bipartisan legislation that
recognizes
states
as "laboratories of democracy"; and be it further
RESOLVED,
That the Secretary of State be and he hereby is authorized and directed to
transmit
duly certified copies of this resolution to members of the Rhode Island
Congressional
Delegation
and to the primary sponsors of H.R. 506 and S. 2772, Congresswoman Tammy
Baldwin,
Congressmen Tom Price and John Tierney, and Senators George Voinovich and Jeff
Bingaman.
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LC00967
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