HCR 17: Relating to a health insurance pool established for residents of the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
00HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 17 01 Relating to a health insurance pool established for residents of the Kenai 02 Peninsula Borough. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS an estimated 90,000 residents of the state cannot afford to pay their 05 medical bills, are not covered by a group health insurance plan, do not qualify for public 06 assistance programs, or cannot afford to pay individual health insurance premiums; and 07 WHEREAS every resident should have access to a basic level of health care regardless 08 of income and should not become financially destitute before obtaining health care; and 09 WHEREAS the legislature recognizes a continuing need to develop and evaluate ways 10 to manage health care in the state and in recognition of that need the Seventeenth Alaska State 11 Legislature established by Legislative Resolve 45, the Health Resources and Access Task 12 Force in 1991; and 13 WHEREAS the federal, state, and local governments have recognized this need and 14 are attempting to address health care reform issues; and
01 WHEREAS the President of the United States has called for a national health care 02 reform program that would mandate certain base levels of health care be provided by states 03 using some form of regional purchasing group, managed competition, and other mechanisms; 04 and 05 WHEREAS the Health Resources and Access Task Force has submitted a final report 06 to the Governor and the Legislature in January 1993 and recommended 07 (1) a comprehensive strategy for improving health care for all Alaskans, 08 including cost containment efforts, health care access improvements, public health or service 09 delivery system enhancements, and medical malpractice reform; 10 (2) the establishment of regulatory reform measures in the small group health 11 insurance market; 12 (3) that insurers move toward community rating in establishing premiums in 13 the small group insurance markets; 14 (4) the establishment of state-sponsored health insurance pooling arrangements; 15 and 16 (5) that adequate resources be devoted to maintaining a strong health care 17 infrastructure in the state; and 18 WHEREAS the legislature recognizes the need for extensive local involvement and 19 participation in programs designed to meet their needs and that test or model programs often 20 are the mechanism to determine long-term statewide programs or agendas; 21 WHEREAS the Kenai Peninsula Borough Economic Development District, Inc., has 22 established a Kenai Peninsula Borough Health Care Advisory Council to develop 23 recommendations for a health care plan for the Kenai Peninsula Borough residents; and 24 WHEREAS the Kenai Peninsula Borough Health Care Advisory Council has 25 completed extensive surveys of the Kenai Peninsula and produced a report in October 1992 26 detailing the needs for improved health care for the residents of the Kenai Peninsula Borough; 27 and 28 WHEREAS the Kenai Peninsula Borough Health Care Advisory Council has made a 29 recommendation that small businesses, large group employers, and government employee units 30 on the Kenai Peninsula join together to establish a health maintenance organization as 31 authorized by Title 21 of the Alaska Statutes; and
01 WHEREAS the intent of forming this organization for the Kenai Peninsula Borough, 02 in addition to improving health care and access to same, is to demonstrate implementation of 03 a successful locally developed, consumer governed, community based payer model for 04 adaptation statewide; and 05 WHEREAS the problems and opportunities presented in improving health care and 06 access to health care of the Kenai Peninsula Borough parallel those found elsewhere 07 throughout the state and nation; and 08 WHEREAS the residents and leadership of the Kenai Peninsula Borough working 09 through the Kenai Peninsula Borough Economic Development District, Inc., and using the 10 Kenai Peninsula Borough Health Care Advisory Council have developed a plan of 11 implementation for this model; 12 BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that, subject to a referendum vote 13 of the residents, the Kenai Peninsula Borough Health Care Advisory Council be recognized 14 as a model regional area for pooling insurance requirements, for establishing community rating 15 for insurance premiums, for developing small group insurance regulatory reform measures, and 16 for establishing a health maintenance organization; and be it 17 FURTHER RESOLVED by the Alaska State legislature that the Governor is 18 respectfully requested to direct the commissioner of health and social services to offer 19 financial and other support to assist the Kenai Peninsula Borough Health Care Advisory 20 Council and the Kenai Peninsula Borough Economic Development District, Inc., in their 21 pursuit of a model region wide health access and basic care program.