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| 1 | HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION
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| 2 | WHEREAS, The percentage of Illinoisans without health care | ||||||
| 3 | coverage has generally been rising for the last 15 years, | ||||||
| 4 | growing from 9.7% in 1987 to 14.1% in 2002 and nationally the | ||||||
| 5 | proportion of the population that is uninsured grew by 17.8% | ||||||
| 6 | between 1987 and 2002, but it grew by 45.5% in Illinois; and
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| 7 | WHEREAS, Residents of rural areas face a difficult time in | ||||||
| 8 | accessing health care due to geographic isolation, lack of | ||||||
| 9 | transportation, economic disparity, and seasonal challenges | ||||||
| 10 | which create obstacles for rural health care consumers; and
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| 11 | WHEREAS, More than 20% of the U.S. population, over 65 | ||||||
| 12 | million people, live in rural areas, and yet, only 9% of | ||||||
| 13 | physicians practice in rural areas; and
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| 14 | WHEREAS, Rural health care providers face financial | ||||||
| 15 | barriers, including lower wages and reimbursement rates | ||||||
| 16 | compared to urban counterparts, lower patient volumes, and | ||||||
| 17 | fewer economies of scale; and
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| 18 | WHEREAS, The elderly are disproportionately represented in | ||||||
| 19 | rural areas, with approximately 18.4% of all rural residents | ||||||
| 20 | being elderly, and Medicare is the dominant source of health | ||||||
| 21 | care reimbursements for rural hospitals, accounting for | ||||||
| 22 | approximately 47% of patient care in rural areas, compared to | ||||||
| 23 | 36% in urban areas; and
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| 24 | WHEREAS, In rural areas persons with disabilities and | ||||||
| 25 | others who need specialized care must overcome the added | ||||||
| 26 | difficulties of lack of public transportation, long distance to | ||||||
| 27 | health care providers, and limited support services; | ||||||
| 28 | therefore, be it
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| 29 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
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| 1 | NINETY-THIRD GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE | ||||||
| 2 | SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that the Joint Task Force on Rural | ||||||
| 3 | Health is hereby created comprised of 8 members as follows: 2 | ||||||
| 4 | members of the Senate appointed by the Senate President, 2 | ||||||
| 5 | members of the Senate appointed by the Senate Minority Leader, | ||||||
| 6 | 2 members of the House of Representatives appointed by the | ||||||
| 7 | Speaker of the House and 2 members of the House of | ||||||
| 8 | Representatives appointed by the House Minority Leader, with | ||||||
| 9 | one member appointed by the Senate President serving as | ||||||
| 10 | co-chairperson and one member appointed by the Speaker of the | ||||||
| 11 | House serving as co-chairperson; and be it further
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| 12 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall meet to study issues of | ||||||
| 13 | importance for improving access to quality, affordable health | ||||||
| 14 | care for all residents of Illinois, particularly those that | ||||||
| 15 | reside in a rural setting; and be it further | ||||||
| 16 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall study issues related to | ||||||
| 17 | the best practices which ensure that an adequate and | ||||||
| 18 | well-trained workforce is available to deliver health care | ||||||
| 19 | services to Illinois residents living in rural communities; and | ||||||
| 20 | be it further | ||||||
| 21 | RESOLVED, That the Illinois Rural Health Association shall | ||||||
| 22 | provide expert technical assistance to the Task Force as the | ||||||
| 23 | Task Force deems necessary; and be it further | ||||||
| 24 | RESOLVED, That the Task Force shall present its findings | ||||||
| 25 | and recommendations on how best to improve health care in rural | ||||||
| 26 | communities to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of | ||||||
| 27 | the House no later than January 1, 2005.
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