Full Text of HR0074 103rd General Assembly
HR0074 103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
| | HR0074 | | LRB103 30818 MST 57314 r |
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| 1 | | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| 2 | | WHEREAS, The average dental school graduate owes over | 3 | | $290,000 in debt by the time they enter the workforce; and
| 4 | | WHEREAS, During 2020, it was found that the average | 5 | | Illinoisan made $62,930 and that the average rural Illinoisan | 6 | | made only $47,449; and
| 7 | | WHEREAS, The aging of populations in rural communities | 8 | | makes it more difficult for essential businesses to remain | 9 | | open, forcing people to move away from rural areas and into | 10 | | cities, where necessary businesses are much closer; and | 11 | | WHEREAS, Rural flight is a documented phenomenon wherein | 12 | | people, who have lived in rural areas for most if not all of | 13 | | their entire life, move to cities for higher wages, easier | 14 | | work, proximity to necessities, and access to education; and | 15 | | WHEREAS, Rural communities are not immune to inflation | 16 | | caused by worker shortages spurred by people fleeing their | 17 | | communities; and
| 18 | | WHEREAS, The field of dentistry is only sustainable as | 19 | | long as there are enough people nearby who are in need of | 20 | | services; and
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| | | HR0074 | - 2 - | LRB103 30818 MST 57314 r |
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| 1 | | WHEREAS, The federal government has many social welfare | 2 | | programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, that provide | 3 | | healthcare to over 20% of individuals in rural communities | 4 | | over the age of 65; and | 5 | | WHEREAS, Medicare and Medicaid do not cover dental work, | 6 | | leaving the most vulnerable populations at risk for poor oral | 7 | | health and oral diseases, which often leads to additional | 8 | | medical issues; and
| 9 | | WHEREAS, The existence of rural America is at stake, and | 10 | | providing access to dental care for people in these areas | 11 | | could help the communities continue to exist; therefore, be it
| 12 | | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE | 13 | | HUNDRED THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that | 14 | | we urge the federal government to take action on the issue of | 15 | | rural dental care to save these communities from deteriorating | 16 | | any further; and be it further
| 17 | | RESOLVED, That suitable copies be sent to the Senate | 18 | | Finance Committee of the United States Congress, President of | 19 | | the United States Joe Biden, and the Centers for Medicare & | 20 | | Medicaid Services for their consideration.
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