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Nothing in this section shall be construed as creating a claim far monetary damages against the State, <br />a county, a municipality, or any of the agencies, instrumentalities, ar employees thereof. The General <br />Assembly may provide for other remedies to ensure adequate enforcement of this section. <br />WHEREAS, 15% of North Carolina's population, or over a million people, are without health insurance and <br />this number has increase 57°l° over the last seven years, which is a growth rate two to three times greater <br />than the national average; and <br />WHEREAS, 74% of uninsured adults in North Carolina are employed, and the majority of these lack coverage <br />because their employer does not offer a health benefit or, if they do, it is too costly; and <br />WHEREAS, research has demonstrated that the uninsured, even those who are sick, chronically ill, or have <br />special health care needs, get less health care than those who have insurance and are more likely to delay <br />getting the care they need and less likely to use preventative services; and <br />WHEREAS, Medicare does not currently cover prescription medications and the average out-of-pocket <br />spending for health care of a typical elderly person is 23°1o of their income; and <br />WHEREAS, 30°fo of those financially eligible for Medicaid are not covered because of other restrictions; and <br />WHEREAS, the United States is the only industrialized nation in the world that does not provide health care <br />for all its citizens: and <br />WHEREAS, European countries, including the countries that have amulti-payer system, spend less than <br />10°~ of their Grass Domestic Product an health care, compared to 14°I° spent by United States citizens; and <br />WHEREAS, a majority of citizens in the United States and in North Carolina believe that every citizen should <br />have access to health care on a regular basis; and <br />WHEREAS, the findings of the 1994 NC Health Study Commission found that insuring all North Carolinians <br />was financially feasible; and <br />WHEREAS, HR 1396: <br />Would not require that the state become a health care provider or insurer, <br />Would not prescribe any particular mechanism to meet the obligation of providing access to health care <br />for all, <br />Would not expose health care providers to lawsuits just because they refused to provide care for a <br />specific individual that demands it, <br />Would not require that the state provide health care to illegal aliens; and <br />WHEREAS, HR 1396 would put the proposed constitutional amendment on the ballot giving the citizens of <br />North Carolina the chance to express their will on this issue in November and if passed require that the <br />General Assembly provide a plan to ensure access to appropriate health care on a regular basis for all <br />residents of North Carolina; <br />THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS THAT: <br />1. We publicly endorse HR 1396 and support its passage by both houses of the North Carolina General <br />Assembly during the 1999-2000 session sa that the 1 question of a constitutional amendment may be <br />posed to the people of North Carolina during the general election in November 2000. <br />2. A copy of this resolution will be sent to Governor Jim Hunt, Senator Marc Basnight, President Pro <br />Tempore, Representative Jim Black, Speaker of the House, Representative Bill Culpepper, Chairman of <br />the House Rules Committee, and to the members of the North Carolina General Assembly who represent <br />this County. <br />