By Wohlgemuth                                        H.C.R. No. 138
         77R7078 MKS-F                           
                             HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
 1-1           WHEREAS, The Medicaid program allocates money to the states
 1-2     to provide certain low-income individuals with health care
 1-3     insurance and funding for acute care; and
 1-4           WHEREAS, To access federal funds, the State of Texas is
 1-5     obligated to provide certain health care benefits to individuals
 1-6     eligible for Medicaid without regard to costs or the actual needs
 1-7     of individuals; and
 1-8           WHEREAS, The Medicaid program now represents almost
 1-9     one-quarter of Texas' biennial budget, having increased four-fold
1-10     during the last 10 years; and
1-11           WHEREAS, During the same 10-year period, expanding Medicaid
1-12     has left the rate of individuals without health insurance in Texas
1-13     substantially unchanged; and
1-14           WHEREAS, Medicaid offers little flexibility for Texas to
1-15     develop innovative methods of providing health care to individuals
1-16     with low incomes or with acute health care needs as it requires
1-17     permission from the federal government to make changes in the
1-18     program; and
1-19           WHEREAS, The recent experience of welfare reform at the
1-20     federal level has provided Texas with the opportunity to use
1-21     federal funds in a flexible manner while providing necessary
1-22     services to many; and
1-23           WHEREAS, Texas has been able to move significant numbers of
1-24     individuals from welfare to work by virtue of the flexibility
 2-1     afforded by congress; and
 2-2           WHEREAS, As recently as 1996, congress proposed returning
 2-3     Medicaid funds to the state as a block grant; and
 2-4           WHEREAS, Providing Medicaid funds to Texas as a block grant
 2-5     would offer the flexibility needed to meet the unique needs of the
 2-6     state and provide better access to quality health care; now,
 2-7     therefore, be it
 2-8           RESOLVED, That the 77th Legislature of the State of Texas
 2-9     hereby respectfully urge the Congress of the United States to
2-10     provide Medicaid funds to Texas in the form of a block grant; and,
2-11     be it further
2-12           RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official
2-13     copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to
2-14     the speaker of the house of representatives and the president of
2-15     the senate of the United States Congress, and to all the members of
2-16     the Texas delegation to the congress with the request that this
2-17     resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record as a
2-18     memorial to the Congress of the United States of America.