Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES-2000-042 Resolution Supporting House Bill 1396 Amending the NC Constitution Recognizing Healthcare as a Fundamental Right of All Residents Alk Sb ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING HOUSE BILL 1396 AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION OF NORTH CAROLINA TO RECOGNIZE HEALTH CARE AS A FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT OF ALL RESIDENTS. WHEREAS,Representative Verla Insko introduced House Bill 1396 into the General Assembly of North Carolina, Session 1999 - 2000, to amend the Constitution of North Carolina, as follows: See. 38. Health Care (1)Basic right. Health care is an essential safeguard of human life, and there is an obligation for the state to ensure that every resident is able to obtain this fundamental right. No later than May 31, 2004, the General Assembly shall provide by law a plan that enables every resident of the State to obtain appropriate health care on a regular basis. (2)No money damages; other enforcement. Nothing in this section shall be construed as creating a claim for monetary damages against the State, a county, a municipality, or any of the agencies, instrumentalities, or employees thereof. The General Assembly may provide for other remedies to ensure adequate enforcement of this section. WHEREAS, 15% of North Carolinas population, or over a million people, are without health insurance and this number has increased 57% over the last seven years which is a growth rate two to three times greater than the national average, and WHEREAS, 74% of uninsured adults in North Carolina are employed, and the majority of these lack coverage because their employer does not offer a health benefit or, if they do, it is too costly, and WHEREAS, research has demonstrated that the uninsured, even those who are sick, chronically ill, or have special health care needs, get less health care than those who have insurance and are more likely to delay getting the care they need and less likely to use preventative services, and WHEREAS, Medicare does not currently cover prescription medications and the average out-of- pocket spending for health care of a typical elderly person is 23% of their income, and WHEREAS, 30% of those financially eligible for Medicaid are not covered because of other restrictions, and WHEREAS,the United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide health care for all its citizens, and HEREAS,European countries, including the countries that have a multi-payer system, spend less than 10% of their Gross Domestic Product on health care, compared to 14% spent by United States citizens, and WHEREAS, a majority of citizens in the United States and in North Carolina believe that every citizen should have access to health care on a regular basis, and t WHEREAS,the findings of the 1994 NC Health Study Commission found that insuring all North Carolinians was financially feasible. WHEREAS, HR 1396: - would not require that the state become a health care provider or insurer, - would not prescribe any particular mechanism to meet the obligation of providing access to health care for all, - would not expose health care providers to lawsuits just because they refused to provide care for a specific individual who demands it, - would not require that the state provide health care to illegal aliens, and WHEREAS,HR 1396 would put the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot giving the citizens of North Carolina the chance to express their will on this issue in November and if passed require that the General Assembly provide a plan to ensure access to appropriate health care on a regular basis for all residents of North Carolina, and THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS THAT: 1. We publicly endorse HR 1396 and support its passage by both houses of the North Carolina General Assembly during the 1999-2000 session so that the question of a constitutional amendment may be posed to the people of North Carolina during the general election in November 2000. 2. A copy of this resolution will be sent to Governor Jim Hunt, Senator Marc Basnight, President Pro Tempore, Rep. Jim Black, Speaker of the House, Rep. Bill Culpepper, Chairman of the House Rules Committee, and to the members of the North Carolina General Assembly who represent this county.