House Resolution 2

A RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE GOVERNOR TO EXPAND THE CALL OF THE SECOND EXTRAORDINARY SESSION OF 2004 TO INCLUDE LEGISLATION THAT WILL REINSTATE MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY FOR THE POVERTY LEVEL AGED AND DISABLED (PLAD) GROUP.

WHEREAS, the Medicaid program provides a comprehensive system of health care services to approximately 720,000 Mississippians, which services are vital to the health and well-being of most of those individuals; and

WHEREAS, because of the significant budgetary pressures before and during the 2004 Regular Session of the Legislature, the Executive Branch proposed, as a cost-saving measure, to remove Medicaid eligibility for the 65,000 individuals in the Poverty Level Aged and Disabled (PLAD) group, which would leave most of them covered only by the federal Medicare program; and

WHEREAS, during the waning days of the 2004 session primarily, in order to prevent the repeal of the Division of Medicaid, the House of Representatives reluctantly agreed to remove the PLADs from Medicaid eligibility on July 1, 2004, after authorizing the division to seek federal waivers to cover the 5,000 PLADs not eligible for Medicare and 13,000 other chronically ill PLADs; and

WHEREAS, although most of the PLADs are covered under Medicare, Medicare provides very limited coverage for prescription drugs until January 1, 2006, so their loss of Medicaid eligibility this year will significantly restrict their ability to obtain the essential and life-giving prescription drugs that they need; and

WHEREAS, the Governor announced this week that he is administratively delaying the removal of the PLADs from Medicaid until September 15, 2004, to provide more time to inform them and help them with the upcoming changes, but that short-term approach will not solve the problem that the PLADs will have in obtaining their prescription drugs through the end of 2005; and

WHEREAS, although the state will be required to remove the PLADs from Medicaid eligibility by January 1, 2006, or pay the total cost of their prescription drug coverage with state funds, we believe that this group of low income elderly and disabled individuals should be kept on the Medicaid rolls at the present time, because of the great hardship that will be imposed on them by the very limited prescription drug coverage under Medicare until January 2006:

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI, That we request the Governor to expand the call of the Second Extraordinary Session of 2004 to include legislation that will reinstate Medicaid eligibility for the Poverty Level Aged and Disabled (PLAD) group. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be provided to Governor Haley Barbour and to members of the Capitol Press Corps.