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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
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WHEREAS, In 1989, the State of Texas authorized the creation |
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of public entity benefit pools to allow municipalities and counties |
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to combine resources to provide affordable employee benefits; and |
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WHEREAS, Two major health care benefit pools have been |
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created in Texas to provide affordable health care to tens of |
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thousands of Texas families who could not otherwise obtain such |
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coverage; currently, the TML Intergovernmental Employee Benefits |
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Pool provides benefit coverage to the employees and families of |
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more than 800 member political subdivision entities, the majority |
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of which have fewer than 50 employees; the Texas Association of |
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Counties Health and Employee Benefits Pool, the largest benefits |
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pool for county employees in the nation, provides coverage for |
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employees of most Texas counties; and |
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WHEREAS, These major pools in Texas are providing |
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high-quality health care coverage at a cost that is considerably |
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less than the national average, and their scope exceeds that of the |
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essential health benefits coverage mandated by the new federal |
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health care law; and |
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WHEREAS, Unfortunately, the new federal law inadvertently |
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created a strong incentive for political subdivisions to consider |
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dropping coverage for their employees; the law provides that no |
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employer with fewer than 50 employees will face any penalties for |
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dropping health care coverage altogether, and beginning in 2014, |
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new federally authorized health care exchanges will offer health |
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care coverage with generous cost-sharing subsidies and premium tax |
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credits for individuals and families with incomes of up to 400 |
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percent of the federal poverty level; and |
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WHEREAS, If the Texas health benefits pools were made |
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eligible to receive cost-sharing and premium tax credit assistance |
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under the same formula as federal exchange plans, the cost to the |
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federal government would be lower due to the lower cost of the |
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benefits provided by the Texas health care pools; for this same |
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reason, political subdivision employees would also save money on |
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health care coverage; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the 83rd Legislature of the State of Texas |
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hereby respectfully urge the United States Congress to modify the |
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Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to allow cost-sharing |
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payments and premium tax credits to be made available to the Texas |
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political subdivision health care benefit pools on the same basis |
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and under the same formula as such payments and credits will be made |
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available to health plans participating in the new federal |
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exchange; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That the Texas secretary of state forward official |
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copies of this resolution to the president of the United States, to |
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the president of the Senate and the speaker of the House of |
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Representatives of the United States Congress, and to all the |
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members of the Texas delegation to Congress with the request that |
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this resolution be officially entered in the Congressional Record |
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as a memorial to the Congress of the United States of America. |