00 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 15 01 Calling on the state's congressional delegation to oppose cuts to federal spending on 02 Medicaid. 03 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 04 WHEREAS more than 250,000 state residents rely on Medicaid and the Children's 05 Health Insurance Program for health care and long-term care coverage; and 06 WHEREAS Medicaid helps children, seniors, individuals with disabilities, and low- 07 income adults access hospital, physician, prescription, and nursing home services, as well as 08 behavioral health and home and community-based long-term care services throughout the 09 state; and 10 WHEREAS state residents living in rural and remote areas of the state are enrolled in 11 Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program at a higher rate than those residents 12 living in population centers; and 13 WHEREAS Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program are vital sources 14 of coverage in rural and remote areas where residents face more barriers to accessing care, 15 including chronic provider shortages, limited connectivity, limited health care infrastructure, 16 expensive travel costs to access care, and fewer opportunities for employer-provided health 01 insurance; and 02 WHEREAS nearly half of all Medicaid enrollees are under 18 years old, 38 percent of 03 births are covered by Medicaid each year, and Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance 04 Program provide health care coverage to nearly 100,000 children in the state; and 05 WHEREAS Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program are critical to 06 maintaining the health and well-being of the state's newborns, new mothers, and children 07 under 18 years old; and 08 WHEREAS Medicaid is the main source of funding for long-term services and 09 supports for seniors and individuals with disabilities, and thousands of the state's seniors rely 10 on Medicaid to help cover Medicare premiums and co-payments, allowing those seniors to 11 live with dignity and independence in the seniors' own homes and communities; and 12 WHEREAS 36 percent of Medicaid enrollees are Alaska Native, and funding from 13 Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program strengthens the Alaska Native Tribal 14 Health Consortium system, helping to improve access to health care in all areas of the state; 15 and 16 WHEREAS Medicaid drives growth in the health care sector, one of the state's most 17 important sectors in terms of employment and wages, and Medicaid is a major source of 18 funding for high quality union nursing and long-term care jobs in the state; and 19 WHEREAS Medicaid plays a crucial role in supporting the state's small businesses 20 and entrepreneurs by providing access to affordable health care coverage for employees, 21 which helps prevent illness, reduces absenteeism, and improves productivity; and 22 WHEREAS, by ensuring workers have access to necessary medical services, 23 Medicaid enables small businesses to retain a healthier, more reliable workforce, ultimately 24 contributing to economic stability and growth in the state; and 25 WHEREAS, each year, the state receives over $2,000,000,000, approximately 78 26 percent of Medicaid spending in the state, from federal funding, and those funds provide an 27 economic boost throughout the state; and 28 WHEREAS the United States Congress is considering cuts of nearly 29 $2,000,000,000,000 to federal spending on Medicaid to fund tax breaks for the wealthy as 30 part of its budget reconciliation process; and 31 WHEREAS spending cuts of this magnitude would force the state to make tough 01 choices about whether to offset reductions with state funding, reduce service levels, cut 02 benefits, or reduce coverage levels, likely leaving tens of thousands of state residents without 03 access to essential health care and long-term services and supports; 04 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on the state's 05 congressional delegation to oppose cuts to federal spending on Medicaid to protect the state's 06 health care system, communities, citizens, and economy. 07 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 08 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. 09 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.