SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 900
WHEREAS, growing concerns and complexities of health issues in this state have lead to higher costs of administration and implementation of health care; and
WHEREAS, the manner in which health care is currently administered at the state level is fragmented and often unresponsive to health care issues; and
WHEREAS, the responsibility for health care policy, purchasing, planning, and regulation is spread among many different agencies and departments; and
WHEREAS, there is a need to have a central agency serve as the lead planning state entity for all health insurance and pharmacy benefit issues in the state to remedy the current situation; and
WHEREAS, the state could benefit from maximizing its purchasing power inasmuch as the state now has none of its health care purchasing coordinated; and
WHEREAS, minimizing the duplication and maximizing the administrative efficiency in the state's health care systems by removing overlapping functions and streamlining uncoordinated programs would lead to increased cost savings to the state in a time of fiscal uncertainty; and
WHEREAS, the state has a need to develop a better health care infrastructure that is more responsive to the consumers it serves while improving access to and coverage for health care:
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the members of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-Second General Assembly, First Regular Session, hereby create a Senate interim committee to be composed of seven members of the Senate, to be appointed by the President Pro Tem of the Senate whereof at least three members shall be from the minority party to conduct a study to determine the feasibility of achieving the objectives of decreasing health insurance costs to all state employees and streamlining state medicaid programs to achieve cost savings, as well as the other objectives expressed herein; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee and its members shall have no contact, written or oral, with the University of Missouri or any employees thereof; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall be prohibited from requesting any research or information from the University of Missouri or any employee thereof; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall call its first meeting within sixty days after adjournment of the Missouri Senate, Ninety-second General Assembly, First Regular Session; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Senate Research shall provide such legal, research, clerical, technical, and bill drafting services as the committee may require in the performance of its duties; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall perform a study of the feasibility and economic impact of achieving the objectives provided herein for submission to the Missouri Senate prior to the commencement of the Second Regular Session of the Ninety-second General Assembly; the study analysis shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) An inventory of current health care and pharmacy benefit plans and related programming offered to state retirees and their dependents and state beneficiaries and their dependents;
(2) The financial feasibility and programming implications of integrating benefit plans, or portions thereof, to achieve financial economies to the state and state retirees and their dependents and state beneficiaries and their dependents;
(3) A prioritized analysis of infrastructure and appropriations necessary to adequately implement any committee recommendation; and
(4) If, by a majority vote of the members of the committee, a determination is made that one of the existing health or pharmacy benefit plans of one of the member agencies, or any part thereof, would be better served by being excluded from the Division of Community Health, such determination and a detailed analysis thereof shall be included; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee shall be authorized to contract for consulting services, subject to appropriation, to assist with the requirements of the study.