Text: SCR00106 Text: SCR00108 Text: SCR00100 - SCR00199 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
PAG LIN
1 1 SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. ___
1 2 BY KRAMER, VEENSTRA, BOETTGER, REDWINE, LAMBERTI,
1 3 TINSMAN, BOLKCOM, KIBBIE, SOUKUP, HAMMOND, KING,
1 4 ZIEMAN, McKIBBEN, SHEARER, JENSEN, REHBERG, DEARDEN,
1 5 FINK, IVERSON, RITTMER, BEHN, HORN, DVORSKY, BLACK,
1 6 McKINLEY, HOUSER, FREEMAN, DRAKE, GREINER, LUNDBY,
1 7 CONNOLLY, GRONSTAL, FRAISE, HARPER, SEXTON, McCOY,
1 8 HOLVECK, DELUHERY, SCHUERER, MADDOX, REDFERN, and
1 9 FLYNN
1 10 A Concurrent Resolution relating to the Medicaid
1 11 program and requesting assistance from the federal
1 12 government.
1 13 WHEREAS, the Medicaid program provides health and
1 14 long-term care coverage for tens of millions of
1 15 Americans; and
1 16 WHEREAS, the Medicaid program is jointly financed
1 17 with state and federal funds, with the federal
1 18 portion, the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage
1 19 (FMAP), being recalculated, annually, based on the
1 20 relationship between each state's per capita personal
1 21 income and the national average per capita personal
1 22 income over three calendar years; and
1 23 WHEREAS, the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage
1 24 for fiscal year 2003 will be based on state income for
1 25 the 1998-2000 period, which does not reflect the
1 26 current economic downturn; and
1 27 WHEREAS, in addition to the receipt of federal
1 28 funds based on the Federal Medical Assistance
1 29 Percentage, many states have relied on the use of the
1 30 upper payment limit process in the payment of public
2 1 nursing facilities and public hospitals to meet the
2 2 costs of their Medicaid programs; and
2 3 WHEREAS, the upper payment limit process under the
2 4 Medicaid program was revised in 2001 resulting in the
2 5 elimination of the upper payment limit process, after
2 6 a transition period, for all but public hospitals; and
2 7 WHEREAS, final rules published in January 2002 by
2 8 the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of the
2 9 United States Department of Health and Human Services
2 10 would revise the upper payment limit for public
2 11 hospitals down from 150 percent of the Medicare limit
2 12 to 100 percent, resulting in an additional reduction
2 13 in the receipt of federal funds by the states; and
2 14 WHEREAS, many states were experiencing increased
2 15 growth in Medicaid spending due to health care
2 16 inflation, rising prescription drug costs, the unique
2 17 role of Medicaid in serving elderly and disabled
2 18 populations that often have high medical costs, and
2 19 other factors, prior to the recent economic downturn;
2 20 and
2 21 WHEREAS, in times of economic downturn, due to loss
2 22 of employment and other factors, the number of people
2 23 eligible for Medicaid increases, resulting in the
2 24 competing pressures on the states to maintain or
2 25 expand their Medicaid programs while at the same time
2 26 to reduce state Medicaid spending; and
2 27 WHEREAS, state budget shortfalls that force states
2 28 to trim their Medicaid programs to reduce state
2 29 Medicaid spending may be counterproductive by
2 30 simultaneously reducing the influx into the state of
3 1 an equal or even greater amount of federal Medicaid
3 2 funds, thereby foregoing a potential stimulus to the
3 3 economy; and
3 4 WHEREAS, the federal government, unlike a majority
3 5 of the states, is not subject to a balanced budget
3 6 requirement and can therefore increase expenditures
3 7 during economic downturns; and
3 8 WHEREAS, time is of the essence in addressing the
3 9 current state budget shortfall, including the Medicaid
3 10 budget within the current fiscal year; NOW THEREFORE,
3 11 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE, THE HOUSE OF
3 12 REPRESENTATIVES CONCURRING, That the General Assembly
3 13 of the State of Iowa urges the United States Congress
3 14 to increase the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage
3 15 rate, and to also provide a one-time supplementary
3 16 appropriation to the states under the Medicaid program
3 17 to maintain current eligibility standards and
3 18 benefits; and
3 19 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
3 20 of the State of Iowa urges the Centers for Medicare
3 21 and Medicaid Services of the United States Department
3 22 of Health and Human Services to approve the Iowa
3 23 Medicaid state plan amendment submitted on November
3 24 26, 2001, to allow Iowa, like other states, to utilize
3 25 the upper payment limit for assessment of payments to
3 26 public hospitals; and
3 27 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That the General Assembly
3 28 of the State of Iowa urges the President of the United
3 29 States, the Congress of the United States, and the
3 30 Secretary of Health and Human Services to implement
4 1 strategies to contain the growing costs of health care
4 2 and specifically the costs of the Medicaid program;
4 3 and
4 4 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this
4 5 resolution be sent by the Secretary of the Senate to
4 6 the President of the United States, the President of
4 7 the United States Senate, the Speaker of the United
4 8 States House of Representatives, the United States
4 9 Secretary of Health and Human Services, and to all
4 10 members of Iowa's congressional delegation.
4 11 LSB 6553SS 79
4 12 pf/hk/91.1
Text: SCR00106 Text: SCR00108 Text: SCR00100 - SCR00199 Text: SCR Index Bills and Amendments: General Index Bill History: General Index
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