00                   SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 7                                                                   
01 Establishing a Health Care Cost Review Task Force.                                                                      
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
03       WHEREAS the state is experiencing rapidly increasing costs for Medicaid and other                               
04 publicly funded health care; and                                                                                        
05       WHEREAS the state's provision of health care to certain groups of Alaskans is                                   
06 required for the state's continued participation in federal programs; and                                               
07       WHEREAS a complete review of the costs of providing state-funded health care to                                 
08 Alaskans is necessary in order to contain or reduce the cost to the state in an era when state                          
09 revenues are increasing less rapidly than are health care costs; and                                                    
10       WHEREAS, after reviewing applicable statutes, practices of the health care industry,                            
11 practices of other health care payors, and the projected health care needs of those groups of                           
12 Alaskans who currently receive publicly funded health care services, legislation may be                                 
13 necessary to implement long-range methods to contain or reduce the cost of publicly funded                              
14 health care services;                                                                                                   
15       BE IT RESOLVED by the Alaska State Legislature that a Health Care Cost Review                                   
16 Task Force is established to study state statutes, federal statutes, practices of public and                            

01 private health care providers, pharmacies, and private health insurers, and to determine ways                           
02 of containing or reducing the cost of providing publicly funded health care in Alaska; and be                           
03 it                                                                                                                      
04       FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall first study and recommend                                            
05 immediate measures necessary to contain or reduce publicly funded health care costs in fiscal                           
06 year 2002; and be it                                                                                                    
07       FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall also study and recommend any                                         
08 changes to the state and federal statutes appropriate and necessary to contain or reduce                                
09 publicly funded health care costs in the long term; and be it                                                           
10       FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the task force shall consist of 11                                         
11 regular members as follows:  three members of the senate, appointed by the president of the                             
12 senate; three members of the house of representatives, appointed by the speaker of the house                            
13 of representatives; one member representing the executive branch, appointed by the governor;                            
14 and four members of the public who shall be selected to represent major industries in the                               
15 state, appointed by the president of the senate with the advice and consent of the speaker of                           
16 the house of representatives; and be it                                                                                 
17       FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall select a chair from among its                                        
18 regular members and that the chair may appoint ad hoc members to the task force that                                    
19 represent affected groups, such as health care providers, third-party payors, recipients of                             
20 publicly funded health care, persons with expertise relating to specific aspects of health care                         
21 costs, and other persons; and be it                                                                                     
22       FURTHER RESOLVED that the terms of the regular members of the task force shall                                  
23 begin immediately, that the task force may meet between sessions of the legislature, and that                           
24 the task force terminates on January 31, 2002; and be it                                                                
25       FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force may meet as often as considered                                            
26 necessary by the chair of the task force, that the task force may employ staff and expert                               
27 consultants as necessary, and that the members of the task force, including ad hoc members,                             
28 are entitled to reimbursement of travel costs associated with attending meetings of the task                            
29 force or a subcommittee of the task force; and be it                                                                    
30       FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force shall submit a report of its findings and                                  
31 proposed legislation to the governor and the legislature by January 31, 2002, and may make                              

01 any interim reports it considers advisable.