CALLING FOR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT AND THE HEALTH CARE AND EDUCATION RECONCILIATION ACT

WHEREAS, the United States Congress passed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care (PPAC) Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-148) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010 (Pub. L. 111-152), and President Barak Obama signed the former into law on March 23, 2010, and signed the latter into law on March 30, 2010;

WHEREAS, the enactment of this legislation represented over sixty years of struggle to extend healthcare coverage to tens of millions of Americans without insurance due to age, poverty, employers that do not offer insurance, disability, or other pre-existing medical conditions, which was a population estimated at 46 million in 2009;

WHEREAS, the enactment of this legislation is of particular importance for America’s children, thousands of whom are born every year with serious, often chronic, and costly medical conditions or who develop serious conditions as a result of their environments, exposure to lead and other toxins, all of which are much more likely to occur among children in lower income families;

WHEREAS, the enactment of this legislation is of particular significance for people of color who represent one-third of the total population of the United States but constitute fifty percent (50%) of the uninsured population, as they are more likely to be unemployed, under-employed, have low-paying jobs, or work for employers that do not offer health insurance, all of which pose significant barriers in gaining access to quality health care;

WHEREAS, the passage of this legislation elevates the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health from being a Center to being an Institute; WHEREAS, the passage of this legislation codifies the Office of Minority Health within the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and a network of minority health offices within HHS to monitor health and quality of care for people of color;

WHEREAS, state legislators on the front lines of healthcare reform have seen the benefits of the increased investments being made available to our states, such as the PPAC Act provision of over $11 billion for the operation, expansion, and construction of community health centers over the next five years;

WHEREAS, the PPAC Act strives to make states a partner in bringing health insurance coverage to 32 million Americans; an example of this is the $49 million just released to states in the form of Health Insurance Exchange Planning Grants;

WHEREAS, states have already begun spending resources to meet current and future requirements of the PPAC Act, including the creation of special task forces, the establishment of temporary high-risk pools, and preparations for 2014 implementation of Medicaid expansion and insurance mandates;

WHEREAS, the first wave of reforms from this legislation have already come into effect, including requiring states to establish high-risk health pools with funding to make rates more affordable; requiring coverage of children with pre-existing conditions; requiring coverage of dependents under their parents’ plans until age 26; prohibiting policy annual and lifetime expenditure caps; prohibiting cancelation for certain frivolous reasons; requiring preventive care, such as mammograms and cholesterol screenings; and

WHEREAS, additional reforms will not come into effect until 2014, including the provision that prohibits insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions for adults; the establishment of state health insurance exchanges to allow Americans to enjoy unprecedented transparency in the purchase of insurance plans, as informed purchasing decisions based on price comparison is one of the fundamental tenets of free market capitalism; and the establishment of premium credits to low-income individuals as well as families that earn up to 400% of the federal poverty level.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, at its 34th Annual Legislative Conference, the National Black Caucus of State Legislators (NBCSL) calls upon the U.S. Congress to take no action to repeal or weaken the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NBCSL also supports full funding of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, and any provisions that will help our states to implement the health care reforms, including flexibility measures for states so that state healthcare systems are able to adjust to changing implementation requirements; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Vice President of the United States, members of the United States House of Representatives and the United States Senate, and other federal and state government officials as appropriate.

SPONSOR(S): Representative Wayne Ford (IA)
Committee of Jurisdiction: Business, Financial Services, and Insurance Policy Committee
Certified by Committee 1st Vice Chair: Representative Wayne Ford (IA)
Ratified in Plenary Session: Ratification Date is December 3, 2010
Ratification is certified by: Representative Calvin Smyre (GA), President