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HCR043................................................by HEALTH AND WELFARE CHILDREN'S HEALTH - Stating legislative findings and recognizing the importance of children's health; committing to strive toward ensuring that Idaho's children have access to high-quality, affordable and comprehensive primary and preventive health and dental care services; and supporting necessary public and private outreach efforts to help income-eligible Idaho children get the health care coverage they need and deserve while seeking to find a way to provide health care coverage to all Idaho children. 02/12 House intro - 1st rdg - to printing 02/13 Rpt prt - to Health/Wel
]]]] LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF IDAHO ]]]] Fifty-ninth Legislature Second Regular Session - 2008IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 43 BY HEALTH AND WELFARE COMMITTEE 1 A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 2 STATING LEGISLATIVE FINDINGS, RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF CHILDREN'S HEALTH, 3 COMMITTING TO STRIVE TOWARD ENSURING THAT IDAHO'S CHILDREN HAVE ACCESS TO 4 HIGH QUALITY, AFFORDABLE AND COMPREHENSIVE PRIMARY AND PREVENTIVE HEALTH 5 AND DENTAL CARE SERVICES AND SUPPORTING NECESSARY PUBLIC AND PRIVATE 6 OUTREACH EFFORTS TO HELP INCOME-ELIGIBLE IDAHO CHILDREN RECEIVE THE HEALTH 7 CARE COVERAGE THEY NEED AND DESERVE WHILE SEEKING TO FIND A WAY TO PROVIDE 8 HEALTH CARE COVERAGE FOR ALL IDAHO CHILDREN. 9 Be It Resolved by the Legislature of the State of Idaho: 10 WHEREAS, we recognize children as our state's greatest resource and their 11 health and well-being as Idaho's highest priority; and 12 WHEREAS, acknowledging, based both on research and experience, routine 13 health and dental preventive care services for children are cost-effective and 14 have long-term health and societal benefits; and 15 WHEREAS, healthy children are a key component in the overall health of the 16 family in Idaho; and 17 WHEREAS, parents are responsible to provide for their child's health and 18 dental care needs but frequently have trouble accessing affordable health cov- 19 erage and health services for their children; and 20 WHEREAS, uninsured children are less likely to get health and dental pre- 21 ventive care and are more likely to inappropriately use hospital emergency 22 rooms as their regular source of medical care, thereby passing on the very 23 high costs of these services to other consumers, the state of Idaho, and the 24 overall community; and 25 WHEREAS, in Idaho, there are approximately 43,500 uninsured children with 26 an uninsured rate of approximately 11.6% among children ages birth through 18 27 years of age according to Idaho Kids Count 2007 Data Report; and 28 WHEREAS, our state policymakers have both the resolve and means to reach 29 and decrease the number of uninsured children under 19 years of age who are 30 income-eligible for free or low-cost health care coverage through Medicaid and 31 SCHIP when the family income is below 185% of the federal poverty level 32 (approximately 19,000 children); and 33 WHEREAS, the cost of SCHIP to the state of Idaho is greatly reduced by a 34 very favorable federal match rate, making this coverage a great value; and 35 WHEREAS, untreated mental and physical illnesses contribute to additional 36 health care costs and impede a child's ability to learn effectively in school 37 and at home. 38 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the members of the Second Regular Ses- 39 sion of the Fifty-ninth Idaho Legislature, the House of Representatives and 40 the Senate concurring therein, that the Idaho Legislature recognizes the 41 importance of children's health and commits to strive toward ensuring that 42 Idaho's children have access to high quality, affordable and comprehensive 43 primary and preventive health and dental care services. 44 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that we support necessary public and private 2 1 outreach efforts to help income-eligible Idaho children receive the health 2 care coverage they need and deserve while seeking to find a way to provide 3 health care coverage for all Idaho children.
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
RS 17615 C1
The purpose of this legislation is to reaffirm that children are
one of Idaho's most important assets and to declare that children
should have access to high-quality, comprehensive, affordable
primary and preventive health care services. The resolution
indicates that with access to health care for children there
would likely be less reliance upon more expensive types of health
care services such as emergency rooms, which pass the costs for
treating uninsured children onto other consumers and overall
communities. This resolution makes clear parents are responsible
to provide for their children's health and dental care but
sometimes have trouble accessing affordable care.
FISCAL NOTE
No fiscal impact on the General Fund.
Contact
Name: Senator John McGee
Phone: (208) 332-1000
Representative Carlos Bilbao
STATEMENT OF PURPOSE/FISCAL NOTE HCR 43