093_HR0007

                                     LRB093 03467 KEF 03495 r

 1                          HOUSE RESOLUTION

 2        WHEREAS, Medicaid is a  program  jointly  funded  by  the
 3    federal  and  state  governments  to provide health insurance
 4    coverage to needy citizens; and

 5        WHEREAS, Medicaid is the nation's major public  insurance
 6    program  for  providing health and long term care coverage to
 7    millions of  low-income  citizens  including  newly  eligible
 8    populations  to  whom  the  State  of  Illinois  has recently
 9    expended benefits; and

10        WHEREAS, Federal Medical  Assistance  Percentages  (FMAP)
11    are  used in determining the amount of federal matching funds
12    for state expenditures associated with the Medicaid programs;
13    and

14        WHEREAS, FMAP rates vary from state to  state  with  some
15    states  receiving matching rates as high as 83 percent, while
16    Illinois receives only the minimum FMAP rate of  50  percent;
17    and

18        WHEREAS,  Increasing  the  FMAP  rate  in  Illinois to 55
19    percent would result  in  an  increase  of  $430  million  in
20    federal funding; and

21        WHEREAS,  The  National  Governors  Association  supports
22    proposals  to  increase the FMAP rate as an economic stimulus
23    option that would provide more  funding  for  state  Medicaid
24    programs; and

25        WHEREAS,  Without  a FMAP rate increase, taxpayers may be
26    called upon to further fund the Medicaid program in this time
27    of economic need; and

28        WHEREAS, The FMAP rate for Illinois does  not  adequately
29    reflect  the  increasing population of Medicaid recipients in
30    Illinois; therefore, be it
 
                            -2-      LRB093 03467 KEF 03495 r
 1        RESOLVED,  BY  THE  HOUSE  OF  REPRESENTATIVES   OF   THE
 2    NINETY-THIRD  GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
 3    we support and urge efforts by the United States Congress and
 4    the President of the United States to provide an increase  in
 5    the  FMAP  rate  for  Illinois to more adequately reflect the
 6    population of Medicaid recipients  in  Illinois;  and  be  it
 7    further

 8        RESOLVED,  That  a  suitable  copy  of this resolution be
 9    delivered  to  each  member  of  the  Illinois  Congressional
10    delegation,  the  Speaker  of  the  United  States  House  of
11    Representatives, the Majority Leader  of  the  United  States
12    Senate, and the President of the United States.