FIRST REGULAR SESSION

House Concurrent Resolution No. 12

92^ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1439L.01I

         Whereas, the use of prescription drugs improves the quality of care and helps patients live healthier, longer, and more productive lives while keeping them out of more costly acute care settings in the long term; and

            Whereas, the increased use of new and improved prescription drugs has changed the delivery of health care in the United States since Medicare was enacted, and while two-thirds of the Medicare population has some form of prescription drug coverage, although many times inadequate, one-third of Medicare beneficiaries have no coverage at all; and

            Whereas, Congress did not enact a drug benefit in the Medicare program, therefore the program is inadequate in providing the elderly and disabled the most appropriate drug therapies, preventing the delivery of quality health care at an affordable cost; and

            Whereas, the private sector provides affordable coverage by negotiating discounts on drugs and meeting the needs of special populations with chronic diseases and those with co-morbidities through coordinating care with disease management, drug utilization review, and patient education programs, all of which aid in ameliorating medical errors; and

            Whereas, comprehensive reform of the Medicare program would utilize the successful tools of the private sector in coordinating care for this population and use the marketplace to foster competition among private plans, resulting in more choices of quality coverage for seniors and the disabled while maintaining the financial sustainability of the program; and

            Whereas, the failure of Congress to provide for comprehensive reform of Medicare and the encouraging of states to use their own resources to ease the burden of the elderly and disabled Medicare populations, in effect, result in an unfunded informal mandate on the states; and

            Whereas, in implementing state programs to assist the Medicare population, state budgetary constraints can often result in requirements to restrict and limit patient access to needed prescription drugs, and the enactment of anti-competitive price controls:

            Now, therefore, be it resolved that the members of the House of Representatives of the Ninety-second General Assembly, First Regular Session, the Senate concurring therein, hereby request that the United States Congress enact financially sustainable, voluntary, universal, and privately administered out-patient prescription drug coverage as part of the federal Medicare program; and

            Be it further resolved that the Chief Clerk of the Missouri House of Representatives be instructed to prepare a properly inscribed copy of this resolution for each member of the Missouri Congressional Delegation.