| 1 | 1 | | 86R3549 SME-D |
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| 2 | 2 | | By: Landgraf H.C.R. No. 29 |
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| 3 | 3 | | |
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| 4 | 4 | | |
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| 5 | 5 | | CONCURRENT RESOLUTION |
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| 6 | 6 | | WHEREAS, The State of Texas could produce better health |
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| 7 | 7 | | outcomes for enrollees and could better protect taxpayers through |
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| 8 | 8 | | Medicaid block grants; and |
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| 9 | 9 | | WHEREAS, States are often constrained in delivering adequate |
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| 10 | 10 | | health care to residents in need because of onerous federal |
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| 11 | 11 | | regulations; block grants, however, would enable states to design |
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| 12 | 12 | | health care programs that best serve their citizens and to better |
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| 13 | 13 | | handle fluctuations in the economy, population growth, and health |
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| 14 | 14 | | care costs; and |
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| 15 | 15 | | WHEREAS, According to the Texas Health and Human Services |
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| 16 | 16 | | Commission, the state would have saved $4 billion on health care in |
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| 17 | 17 | | 2015 by using block grants instead of the present Medicaid model; |
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| 18 | 18 | | moreover, annual cost savings under a block grant program could |
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| 19 | 19 | | exceed $6 billion by 2023; and |
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| 20 | 20 | | WHEREAS, Such savings could allow the state to increase |
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| 21 | 21 | | public education funding and relieve a notable burden from school |
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| 22 | 22 | | districts and property tax payers; currently, Texas provides less |
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| 23 | 23 | | than 40 percent of funding for school districts, with property |
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| 24 | 24 | | taxes making up the difference; without additional funding by the |
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| 25 | 25 | | state, the obligation will continue to fall to homeowners; and |
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| 26 | 26 | | WHEREAS, The current Medicaid program constrains the state's |
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| 27 | 27 | | ability to address health care needs at the local level and places |
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| 28 | 28 | | unnecessary financial strain on taxpayers; savings from block |
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| 29 | 29 | | grants would allow Texas to better address the needs of its citizens |
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| 30 | 30 | | at the local level; now, therefore, be it |
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| 31 | 31 | | RESOLVED, That the 86th Legislature of the State of Texas |
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| 32 | 32 | | hereby urge the United States Congress to provide the Lone Star |
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| 33 | 33 | | State with Medicaid block grants and allow Texas to administer its |
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| 34 | 34 | | own health care for the poor; and, be it further |
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| 35 | 35 | | RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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| 36 | 36 | | copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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| 37 | 37 | | the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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| 38 | 38 | | Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all members |
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| 39 | 39 | | of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that this |
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| 40 | 40 | | resolution be entered in the Congressional Record as a memorial to |
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| 41 | 41 | | the Congress of the United States of America. |
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