2021 -- S 0109 AS AMENDED

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LC000485

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2021

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

RESPECTFULLY URGING THE UNITED STATES CONGRESS TO PASS LEGISLATION

ESTABLISHING AN IMPROVED "MEDICARE FOR ALL" OR "MEDICARE FOR ALL

WHO WANT IT" PROGRAM THAT WOULD PROVIDE UNIVERSAL, COMPREHENSIVE

AND AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

     Introduced By: Senators Calkin, Mendes, Anderson, Mack, Bell, and Quezada

     Date Introduced: January 26, 2021

     Referred To: Senate Health & Human Services

     WHEREAS, Health care is a human right, not a commodity available only to those who

can afford it; and

     WHEREAS, Although the federal Affordable Care Act (ACA) allowed states to offer

more people taxpayer subsidized private health insurance and increased Medicaid access, the

ACA has not provided universal, comprehensive, affordable coverage for all Rhode Islanders;

and

     WHEREAS, In 2020, according to HealthSource Rhode Island, about four percent (4%)

of Rhode Islanders (40,000), had no health insurance; and

     WHEREAS, HealthSource Rhode Island reported that approximately twenty-five percent

(25%) of Rhode Islanders (250,000) were underinsured in 2020 (i.e. high deductibles and out-of-

pocket maximums); and

     WHEREAS, COVID-19 exacerbated and highlighted problems with the status quo health

insurance system including:

     (1) Coverage is too easily lost when health insurance is tied to jobs - during the COVID-

19 pandemic many Rhode Islanders lost their jobs and therefore may have lost or experienced

disruption in their health insurance;

     (2) Systemic racism is reinforced - Black and Hispanic/Latinx Rhode Islanders, more

likely to be uninsured or underinsured, have suffered the highest rates of COVID-19 mortality

and morbidity; and

     (3) The fear of out-of-pocket costs for the uninsured and underinsured puts everyone at

risk because they avoid testing and treatment; and

     WHEREAS, The existing US health insurance system has failed to adequately control the

cost of health care and to provide universal access to health care in a system which is widely

accepted to waste thirty percent (30%) of its revenues on activities that do not improve the health

of Americans; and

     WHEREAS, Every industrialized nation in the world, except the United States, offers

universal health care to its citizens and enjoys better health outcomes; and

     WHEREAS, Health care is not universally accessible under our current system, despite

the fact that Rhode Island patients, businesses and taxpayers already pay enough money to have

comprehensive and universal health insurance coverage; and

     WHEREAS, An improved health care system that includes a "Medicare for All" or

"Medicare for All Who Want It" plan would increase consumer choice, ensure competition

between public and private payers, and improve access to care - providing a pathway to universal

coverage; and

     WHEREAS, About one-third (1/3) of every “health care” dollar spent in the U.S. is

wasted on unnecessary administrative costs and excessive pharmaceutical company profits due to

laws preventing Medicare from negotiating prices; and

     WHEREAS, The health care marketplace does not respond to traditional supply and

demand forces for many reasons, including that the suppliers of services (health care providers)

also control demand by recommending whether or not patients get particular care; and

     WHEREAS, The resources Rhode Islanders currently spend on health insurance,

pharmaceuticals and health care could be used much more efficiently; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island private businesses bear most of the costs of employee health

insurance coverage and spend significant time and money choosing from a confusing array of

increasingly expensive plans; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island employees and retirees lose significant wages and pensions as

they are forced to pay higher amounts of health insurance and health care costs; and

     WHEREAS, Rhode Island’s hospitals are under increasing financial distress – i.e.,

closing, sold to out-of-state entities, attempting mergers – in part due to health insurance

reimbursement problems that other nations do not face and could be fixed by a "Medicare for All"

or "Medicare for All Who Want It" plan that provides more equitable reimbursement rates; and

     WHEREAS, The state and its municipalities face enormous other post-employment

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benefits (OPEB) unfunded liabilities due mostly to health insurance costs and could be largely

eliminated by a "Medicare for All" or "Medicare for All Who Want It" plan; and

     WHEREAS, The high costs of medical care could be lowered significantly if the country

could negotiate on behalf of all its residents for bulk purchasing, as well as gain access to usage

and price information currently kept confidential by private health insurers as "proprietary

information"; and

     WHEREAS, A "Medicare for All" or "Medicare for All Who Want It" would provide

comprehensive coverage that would include vision, hearing and dental care, mental health and

substance abuse services, as well as prescription medications, medical equipment, supplies,

diagnostics and treatments; and

     WHEREAS, Health care providers would spend significantly less time with

administrative work caused by multiple health insurance company requirements and barriers to

care delivery and would spend significantly less for overhead costs because of streamlined

billing; and

     WHEREAS, There is extensive research that shows an improved "Medicare for All" or

"Medicare for All Who Want It" plan will benefit all by providing universal comprehensive

affordable health care coverage and establishing a funding system that is public, progressive,

sustainable and contains health care costs; and

     WHEREAS, A "Medicare for All" or "Medicare for All Who Want It" plan would

eliminate much of the administrative waste in the current system; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby recognizes the need

for the United States government to implement an improved "Medicare for All" or "Medicare for

All Who Want It" plan and hereby respectfully urges Congress to pass such legislation that would

provide a pathway to universal coverage; and be it further

     RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to

transmit duly certified copies of this resolution to the Clerk of the United States House of

Representatives, the Clerk of the United States Senate, and to members of the Rhode Island

Congressional Delegation.

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