HR0628 93RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0628 LRB093 15183 HSS 40779 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003 was signed into law on December 8, 2003; and

WHEREAS, In 2001 the United States spent $140.6 billion on prescription drugs, with Medicare spending $2.4 billion on prescription drugs; and

WHEREAS, The high cost of prescription drugs places an extraordinarily heavy burden on elderly persons and persons with disabilities who live on fixed incomes; and

WHEREAS, It remains crucial for Congress and each of the state legislatures to respond to this health care crisis in a timely yet thoughtful manner; and

WHEREAS, The enacted federal Medicare Prescription Drug Bill does not adequately meet the needs of Illinois senior citizens and persons with disabilities; it offers less assistance than our current State prescription drug programs offer; and

WHEREAS, The enacted federal Medicare Prescription Drug Bill includes a complicated drug benefit and fails to lower drug prices; and

WHEREAS, The enacted federal Medicare Prescription Drug Bill will adversely affect elderly persons and persons with disabilities who currently receive prescription drug coverage and other benefits under the Illinois Medicaid Program; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we call upon the United States Congress to amend the federal Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, and we further urge the United States Congress not to pass any measure that fails to do less for its senior citizens than does the current Illinois drug prescription program; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this resolution be sent to each member of the Illinois Congressional delegation.