Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 122.djvu/5208

 12 2 STA T .5 1 8 5 CON C UR R E NT RESO L UT I ONS —J UNE 5 , 2 0 08 crit ic al acc es st o care f orc h il d re nw ith disa b ilities , co v erin gm ore than 70p ercent of poor children with disabilities .(5)M ore than 21 ,000,000 women depend on Medicaid for their health care. W omen comprise the ma j orit y of seniors ( 64 percent) on Medicaid. H alf of nonelderly women with perma - nent mental or physical disabilities have health coverage thro u gh Medicaid. Medicaid provides treatment for low-income women diagnosed with breast or cervical cancer in every S tate. (6) Medicaid is the N ation ’ s largest source of payment for mental health services, H IV/A I D S care, and care for children with special needs. Much of this care is either not covered by private insurance or limited in scope or duration. Medicaid is also a critical source of funding for health care for children in foster care and for health services in schools. (7) Medicaid funds help ensure access to care for all Ameri- cans. Medicaid is the single largest source of revenue for the Nation’s safety net hospitals, health centers, and nursing homes, and is critical to the ability of these providers to ade- q uately serve all Americans. ( 8 ) Medicaid serves a major role in ensuring that the number of Americans without health insurance, appro x imately 47,000,000 in 2006, is not substantially higher. T he system of F ederal matching for State Medicaid expenditures ensures that Federal funds will grow as State spending increases in response to unmet needs, enabling Medicaid to help buffer the drop in private coverage during recessions. ( 9 ) The B ush Administration has issued several regulations that shift Medicaid cost burdens onto States and put at ris k the continued availability of much-needed services. The regula- tions relate to Federal payments to public providers, and for graduate medical education, rehabilitation services, school- based administration, school-based transportation, optional case management services. (b) S ENS E OFTH E SEN A TE. — It is the sense of the Senate that administrative regulations should not— (1) undermine the role the Medicaid program plays as a critical component of the health care system of the U nited States (2) cap Federal Medicaid spending, or otherwise shift Med- icaid cost burdens to State or local governments and their taxpayers and health providers, forcing a reduction in access to essential health services for low-income elderly individuals, individuals with disabilities, and children and families; or ( 3 ) undermine the Federal guarantee of health insurance coverage Medicaid provides, which would threaten not only the health care safety net of the United States, but the entire health care system. Subti t leB— Se ns e of t h e C on gr ess SEC.51 1. SE N SE OFTH E CON GR ESS ON SER VI CE M EM B ERS ’A N D VET - ERANS’ HEA L TH CARE AND OTHER P RIORITIES. It is the sense of the C ongress that— (1) the Congress supports excellent health care for current and former members of the United States Armed Services—

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