HCON 71 PCS 
(b) POLICY ON HEALTH CARE REGULATION.—It is 
the policy of this concurrent resolution that— 
(1) the American health care system should en-
courage research, development, and innovation in the 
medical sector, rather than stymie growth through 
over-regulation; 
(2) States should determine the parameters of 
acceptable private insurance plans based on the 
needs of their populations and retain control over 
other health care coverage standards; 
(3) reforms should protect patients with pre-ex-
isting conditions, reward those who maintain contin-
uous health coverage, and create greater parity be-
tween benefits offered through employers and those 
offered independently; 
(4) States should have greater flexibility in de-
signing their Medicaid program and State Children’s 
Health Insurance Program; 
(5) medical malpractice reform should empha-
size compliance with best practice guidelines, while 
continuing to protect patients’ interests; and 
(6) States should have the flexibility to imple-
ment medical liability policies to best suit their 
needs. 
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HCON 71 PCS 
SEC. 511. POLICY STATEMENT ON MEDICARE. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The House finds the following: 
(1) More than 57 million Americans depend on 
Medicare for their health security. 
(2) The Medicare Trustees Report has repeat-
edly recommended that Congress address Medicare’s 
long-term financial challenges. Each year without re-
form, the financial condition of Medicare becomes 
more precarious and the threat to those in or near 
retirement more pronounced. The current challenges 
that Congress will need to address include— 
(A) the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund 
will be exhausted in 2029 and unable to pay the 
scheduled benefits; 
(B) Medicare enrollment is expected to in-
crease more than 50 percent in the next two 
decades, as 10,000 baby boomers reach retire-
ment age each day; 
(C) due to extended life spans, enrollees 
remain in Medicare three times longer than at 
the outset of the program five decades ago; 
(D) notwithstanding the program’s trust 
fund arrangement, current workers’ payroll tax 
contributions pay for current Medicare bene-
ficiaries instead of being set aside for their own 
future use; 
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(E) the number of workers supporting 
each beneficiary continues to fall; in 1965, the 
ratio was 4.5 workers per beneficiary, and by 
2030, the ratio will be only 2.4 workers per 
beneficiary; 
(F) the average Medicare beneficiary re-
ceives about three dollars in Medicare benefits 
for every dollar paid into the program; 
(G) Medicare is growing faster than the 
economy, with a projected growth rate of 7.2 
percent per year on average through 2026, 
peaking in 2026 at 9.2 percent; and 
(H) by 2027, Medicare spending will reach 
more than $1.4 trillion, more than double the 
2016 spending level of $692 billion. 
(3) Failing to address the impending insolvency 
of Medicare will leave millions of American seniors 
without adequate health security and younger gen-
erations burdened with having to pay for these 
unsustainable spending levels. 
(b) POLICY ON MEDICARE REFORM.—It is the policy 
of this concurrent resolution to save Medicare for those 
in or near retirement and to strengthen the program’s sol-
vency for future beneficiaries. 
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(c) ASSUMPTIONS.—This concurrent resolution as-
sumes transition to an improved Medicare program that 
ensures— 
(1) Medicare is preserved for current and fu-
ture beneficiaries; 
(2) future Medicare beneficiaries may select 
from competing guaranteed health coverage options 
a plan that best suits their needs; 
(3) traditional fee-for-service Medicare remains 
a plan option; 
(4) Medicare provides additional assistance for 
lower-income beneficiaries and those with greater 
health risks; and 
(5) Medicare spending is put on a sustainable 
path and becomes solvent over the long term. 
SEC. 512. POLICY STATEMENT ON COMBATING THE OPIOID 
EPIDEMIC. 
(a) FINDINGS.—The House finds the following: 
(1) According to the Centers for Disease Con-
trol and Prevention (CDC), 91 Americans die each 
day from an opioid overdose. 
(2) Nearly half of all opioid overdose deaths in-
volve a prescription opioid. 
(3) Since 1999, the number of prescription 
opioids sold in the U.S. has nearly quadrupled. 
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(4) Since 1999, the number of deaths from pre-
scription opioids has more than quadrupled. 
(5) The CDC asserts that improving opioid pre-
scribing practices will reduce exposure to opioids, 
prevent abuse, and stop addiction. 
(6) The CDC has found that individuals in 
rural counties are almost twice as likely to overdose 
on prescription painkillers as those in urban areas. 
(7) According to the CDC, nearly 7,000 people 
are treated in emergency rooms every day for using 
opioids in a non-approved manner. 
(8) The 21st Century Cures Act and the Com-
prehensive Addiction and Recovery Act were signed 
into law in the 114th Congress in an overwhelming 
display of congressional and executive branch sup-
port in the fight against the opioid epidemic. 
(9) Bipartisan efforts to eliminate opioid abuse 
and provide relief from addiction for all Americans 
should continue. 
(b) POLICY ON OPIOID ABUSE.—It is the policy of 
this concurrent resolution that— 
(1) combating opioid abuse using available 
budgetary resources remains a high priority; 
(2) the House, in a bipartisan manner, should 
continue to examine the Federal response to the 
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