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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