IV 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 100 

Expressing the support of the Congress regarding the need to facilitate 

State innovation in national health care reform. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

APRIL 21, 2009 

Ms. BALDWIN (for herself, Mr. PRICE of Georgia, Mr. SESSIONS, Mr. KIND, 

Mr. PETRI, Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas, Mr. YOUNG of Alaska, Mr. 

HOLT, Mr. LINDER, Mr. WU, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mrs. TAUSCHER, 

Mr. SOUDER, Mr. CONAWAY, and Mr. WESTMORELAND) submitted the 

following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 

Energy and Commerce 

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION 

Expressing the support of the Congress regarding the need 

to facilitate State innovation in national health care reform. 

Whereas there are 45,700,000 people who have been without 

health insurance coverage at some point during 2007 in 

the United States; 

Whereas, at any given point in time, between 13 and 20 percent of the United States population is covered by Medicaid, a program administered by States according to 

broad Federal guidelines; 

Whereas the percentage of uninsured residents varies by 

more than 20 percentage points across the States; 


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Whereas States want affordable health care that will provide 

meaningful coverage to their residents, and urge the Federal Government to lead a Federal-State partnership to 

reach that goal; 

Whereas State governments possess an ability to respond to 

and predict the health care needs of their residents within the context of a Federal-State partnership; 

Whereas States have the unique flexibility have to meet varying social, political, economic, demographic, and market 

conditions in the various States; 

Whereas States, in the absence of national action, have taken 

the lead in health care reform, implementing new initiatives, passing legislation, and debating ambitious reform 

proposals; 

Whereas several States have already enacted comprehensive 

health care reform initiatives, and many more States are 

moving towards additional types of health care reform; 

Whereas at least 1 State has been successful at significantly 

lowering its uninsurance rate through State-level reforms; 

Whereas many more States have undertaken incremental efforts that can provide important lessons for other States 

and for national policy across a broad range of issue 

areas, including payment reform, quality improvement, 

disease management, long-term care, cost containment, 

and coverage expansion; 

Whereas, even with national action, States can continue to 

play a critical role to supplement Federal action, ensuring consumer protections and expanding available services; 

Whereas Federal support and encouragement of States’ initiatives is key to making health care accessible to all; 


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Whereas the national health care system can incorporate and 

apply lessons learned from successful State-level experiments, both to improve national strategies enacted by 

Congress and to help prepare the way for future stages 

of reform; 

Whereas States should work in partnership with the Federal 

Government to achieve clear national goals and objectives 

for improving our health care system; 

Whereas States may have the ability to achieve national goals 

and objectives more quickly and effectively if permitted 

the flexibility when implementing aspects of national reform; 

Whereas States that object to segments of a proposed national reform effort may come to support that reform if 

they are permitted to make modifications, while committing to achieving objectives of reform; and 

Whereas there is strong bipartisan support for an approach 

to health reform that incorporates the principles of Creative Federalism: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate 

2 concurring), That the Congress commits to include, within 

3 legislation authorizing national health care reform, provi4 sions that facilitate State innovation and that— 

5 (1) promote the unique role of States as 

6 innovators in health care reform, recognizing their 

7 distinct competencies; 

8 (2) feature flexibility for States in implementing 

9 national goals and objectives for health care reform, 


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1 taking into consideration varying political, economic, 

2 and market conditions; 

3 (3) facilitate States’ efforts to improve upon 

4 and expand the goals and objectives of national 

5 health reform; and 

6 (4) incorporate the principles of State innova7 tion espoused in the Health Partnership Act and 

8 Health Partnership Through Creative Federalism 

9 Act. 

Æ 


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