HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 15
(By Delegates Staggers, Argento, Azinger, Barker, Boggs, Burdiss,
Campbell, Canterbury, Caputo, Crosier, DeLong, Duke, Eldridge,
Ellis, Evans, Fleischauer, Gall, Guthrie, Hamilton, Hartman,
Hatfield, Higgins, Hrutkay, Iaquinta, Ireland, Kessler, Kominar,
Long, Manchin, Martin, Miley, C. Miller, Moore, Moye, Paxton,
Perry, Pethtel, Pino, D. Poling, M. Poling, Porter, Proudfoot,
Reynolds, Rodighiero, Schoen, Shaver, Shook, Spencer, Stephens,
Talbott, Varner, Webster, Wells, Williams and Yost)
Requesting the Joint Committee on Government and Finance to study
the state of the delivery of health care in West Virginia to
address: (1) Access to care; (2) insurance coverage; and (3)
a single payor plan.
Whereas, There is a crucial need for access to health care in
this state, which is currently not being met by the state and
federal government, health care providers and insurance programs;
and
Whereas, The coordination of a single payor, state operated
insurance system for health care for every person may be achievable
with the coordination of services through the fifty-five county
health departments, providing insurance coverage through the PEIA to volunteer health care providers working out of the county health
departments and consolidation of funding sources and economies of
scale in providing health care services; and
Whereas, The health care crisis in West Virginia and the United
States continues as more and more people lose their health care
insurance and rely on the provision of health care in emergency
rooms which results in high costs of professional liability
insurance for physicians, impeding access of other patients to care
by emergency physicians and other specialists such as surgeons,
obstetricians, and neurosurgeons and results in attrition and an
inability to recruit new physicians to West Virginia; which is
compounded by federal law that requires emergency departments to
care for everyone but does not provide for payment of these
mandated services; and
Whereas, It is feasible that the needs of communities could be
met by devising a plan were people could perform a variety of
community services in exchange for extra health care benefits
provided under a single payor plan; and
Whereas, A single payor plan would include all children for
benefits up to the age of sixteen years of age, at which time they
could then volunteer for community service to continue extra health
care coverage under the single payor plan; therefore, be it
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia:
That the Joint Committee on Government and Finance is hereby requested to study the state of the delivery of health care in West
Virginia to address: (1) Access to health care; (2) insurance
coverage; (3) a single payor plan; and (4) inclusion in said single
payor plan through participation in community service; and, be it
Further Resolved, That the Joint Committee on Government and
Finance report to the regular session of the Legislature, 2009, on
its findings, conclusions and recommendations, together with drafts
of any legislation necessary to effectuate its recommendations;
and, be it
Further Resolved, That the expenses necessary to conduct this
study, to prepare a report and to draft necessary legislation be
paid from legislative appropriations to the Joint Committee on
Government and Finance.