III 

111TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 170 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that children should benefit, and in 

no case be worse off, as a result of reform of the Nation’s health 

care system. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 8, 2009 

Mr. CASEY (for himself, Mr. DODD, Mr. BROWN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, and Mr. 

SANDERS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on Finance 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that children should 

benefit, and in no case be worse off, as a result of 

reform of the Nation’s health care system. 

Whereas Medicaid is a cornerstone of the Nation’s health 

care infrastructure, providing critical health coverage to 

Americans who have the greatest needs: children and 

adults whose financial means are very modest and people 

who are in poorer health compared to the population atlarge, including individuals with significant disabilities 

and those with multiple chronic illnesses; 

Whereas Medicaid provides health coverage to 1⁄4 of the Nation’s children and more than 1⁄2 of all low-income children; 


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•SRES 170 IS 

Whereas because minority children are more likely to be from 

low-income families, Medicaid has been shown to reduce 

racial and ethnic disparities in health care, as it provides 

coverage for 2 out of every 5 African-American and Hispanic children; 

Whereas by limiting cost-sharing and premiums, Medicaid 

provides a comprehensive benefit package and ensures 

that children have access to affordable coverage and the 

health care services they need to stay healthy and meet 

developmental milestones; 

Whereas Medicaid is designed to meet the complex health 

care needs of low-income and special needs children by 

including a wide range of essential and comprehensive 

services that many private insurers do not cover; 

Whereas Medicaid provides developmental assessments for infants and young children (including well-child visits, vision and hearing services, and access to a wide range of 

therapies to manage developmental disorders and chronic 

illnesses) and coverage for in-home support, long-term 

care for special needs children, and transportation services; 

Whereas Medicaid provides a care coordination benefit that 

supports at-risk children by coordinating State health 

services, thereby furthering the ability of States to effectively coordinate medical and social services that are provided by multiple organizations and agencies; 

Whereas administrative spending is lower in Medicaid than 

through private insurance; 

Whereas Medicaid is critical for ensuring that children have 

access to safety-net providers in their local communities 


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•SRES 170 IS 

and for training health care professionals, including pediatricians; and 

Whereas Medicaid provides low-income children with the full 

complement of services they need to meet their unique 

health and developmental needs: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that— 

2 (1) Congress should ensure that reform of our 

3 Nation’s health care system shall benefit all children 

4 and that no child shall be worse off, particularly the 

5 most vulnerable low-income children and children 

6 with disabilities; and 

7 (2) strengthening our Nation’s Medicaid pro8 gram should be a priority and that low-income chil9 dren should not be moved into a health care ex10 change system that could disrupt and diminish their 

11 benefits, cost-sharing protections, availability of care 

12 standards and protections, and access to supports, 

13 services, and safety-net providers. 

Æ 


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