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Regular Session, 2010 ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON NO. 23
BY SENATOR N. GAUTREAUX
A CONCURRENT RESOLUTI ON
To memorialize the Congress of the United States to remove the financial eligibility
requirements for patients stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to be approved
to receive Medicaid.
WHEREAS, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, is better known as "Lou Gehrig's
disease"; and
WHEREAS, ALS is a fatal neurodegenerative disease characterized by degeneration
of cell bodies of the lower motor neurons in the gray matter of the anterior horns of the
spinal cord; and
WHEREAS, the initial symptom of ALS is weakness of skeletal muscles, especially
those of the extremities; and
WHEREAS, as ALS progresses, the patient experiences difficulty in swallowing,
talking, and breathing; and
WHEREAS, ALS eventually causes muscles to atrophy, and the patient becomes a
functional quadriplegic; and
WHEREAS, research indicates that military veterans are at a fifty percent greater risk
of developing ALS than those who have not served in the military; and
WHEREAS, ALS does not affect a patient's mental capacity, so that the patient
remains alert and aware of his loss of motor functions and the inevitable outcome of
continued deterioration and death; and
WHEREAS, on average, patients diagnosed with ALS only survive two to five years
from the time of diagnosis; and
WHEREAS, ALS has no known cause, means of prevention, or cure; and
WHEREAS, there can be significant costs for medical care, equipment, and home
health caregiving later in the disease; and SCR NO. 23 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, many families deplete their life savings attempting to pay for the care
of their loved ones; and
WHEREAS, the financial burden associated with ALS for American families is
enormous.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana memorializes
the Congress of the United States to remove the financial eligibility requirements for patients
stricken with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to be approved to receive Medicaid.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution shall be transmitted
to the secretary of the United States Senate and the clerk of the United States House of
Representatives and to each member of the Louisiana delegation to the United States
Congress.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES