LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION urging the New York State Congressional deleg-
ation to reject the privatizing of Medicare

WHEREAS, Medicare was created as a government funded program in 1965 by
President Lyndon B. Johnson and the Congress to provide affordable qual-
ity medical care to America's elderly; and
WHEREAS, Medicare provides coverage both to persons age 65 and older
and to certain disabled persons under age 65; and
WHEREAS, Medicare is critical for many senior citizens who often live
on a fixed income and cannot afford private health insurance; and
WHEREAS, On April 15, 2011, the United States House of Representatives
passed a budget resolution privatizing Medicare, making health care more
costly to our elderly population; and
WHEREAS, The budget resolution would turn Medicare into a voucher
system, where Medicare would pay a private insurance company a portion
of an elderly recipient's premium and have the elderly recipient pay for
the remainder of the premium; and
WHEREAS, The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office indicates the
budget resolution would mean a dramatic hike in U.S. healthcare costs
for the elderly, where, on average, seniors will pay $12,510 a year in
out of pocket expenses; and
WHEREAS, Three million New Yorkers rely on Medicare as a primary
source of health insurance coverage; and
WHEREAS, Such cost increases will further erode elderly access to
health care; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body finds that the budget resolution is
attempting to balance the budget on the backs of this country's elderly;
now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the New York State Congressional delegation be and
hereby is respectfully memorialized by this Legislative Body to reject
privatization of Medicare; and be it further
RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to each member of the Congressional delegation from the State of
New York.