00                         HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 14                                                                        
01 Urging the United States Congress to oppose federal health care reform bills.                                           
02 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES:                                                                         
03       WHEREAS the health care reform bills being considered in the United States House                                
04 of Representatives and the United States Senate                                                                         
05            (1)  will result in higher federal taxes and force new taxes and penalties on                                
06 Alaskans;                                                                                                               
07            (2)  will cut $466,700,000,000 from the Medicare program;                                                    
08            (3)  will require residents to purchase health insurance;                                                    
09            (4)  will raise insurance premiums;                                                                          
10            (5)  fail to address access to and adequate reimbursement of primary care                                    
11 providers, including doctors, nurses, and physician assistants;                                                         
12            (6)  will cause Medicaid enrollment to increase by an additional 15,000,000 -                                
13 20,000,000 people;                                                                                                      
14            (7)  will impose a one-size-fits-all federally designed health insurance                                     
15 exchange;                                                                                                               
16            (8)  will establish inflexible rating rules; and                                                             

01            (9)  will impose unfunded mandates on states; and                                                            
02       WHEREAS higher taxes and penalties would be detrimental to the economy of the                                   
03 state; and                                                                                                              
04       WHEREAS Medicare cuts would decrease access to services for seniors and the                                     
05 disabled; and                                                                                                           
06       WHEREAS adding more people to the Medicaid program will result in significant                                   
07 cost shifting to privately insured individuals and higher costs to states and territories; and                          
08       WHEREAS the National Association of State Budget Directors has demonstrated that                                
09 states and territories are in no position to comply with the maintenance of effort provisions                           
10 found in the federal health care reform bills or to accept the increases in costs or additional                         
11 administrative burdens required to expand Medicaid coverage; and                                                        
12       WHEREAS the unfunded mandates and special deals will place greater pressure on                                  
13 the state budget and jeopardize funding for education, public safety, and other essential state                         
14 services; and                                                                                                           
15       WHEREAS the Alaska Health Care Commission, in a report dated January 15, 2010,                                  
16 stated that a "journey of transformation that will be many years in the making is required to                           
17 redesign and implement a more rational, coherent and sustainable system that will deliver the                           
18 highest quality of care at the most reasonable price in a way that protects providers and their                         
19 business interests, while protecting the interests of their consumers";                                                 
20       BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives urges the Alaska                                               
21 Congressional delegation to vote against the current health care reform bills and to develop                            
22 health care reform that is affordable and accessible to all legal residents; and be it                                  
23       FURTHER RESOLVED that the House of Representatives urges Governor Parnell                                       
24 and the Administration to review the constitutionality of the special deal for other states                             
25 contained in the current federal health care reform bills.                                                              
26       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                             
27 the United States; the Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice-President of the United States and                          
28 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Harry Reid, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate;                             
29 the Honorable Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives; the Honorable                                 
30 Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don                                      
31 Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress; the Honorable                                 

01 Sean Parnell, Governor of Alaska; and the Honorable Daniel S. Sullivan, Alaska Attorney                                 
02 General.