S-3848               _______________________________________________

                                           SENATE JOINT MEMORIAL NO. 137

                        _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              49th Legislature                              1986 Regular Session

By Senators Wojahn, Rasmussen, Goltz, Stratton and Guess

Read first time 1/22/86 and referred to Committee on Human Services & Corrections.

TO THE HONORABLE RONALD REAGAN, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, AND TO THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE AND THE SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AND TO THE SENATE AND HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE UNITED STATES, IN CONGRESS ASSEMBLED:

          We, your Memorialists, the Senate and House of Representatives of the State of Washington, in legislative session assembled, respectfully represent and petition as follows:

          WHEREAS, The growth of health care costs continues to be a national and state concern; and

          WHEREAS, State government initiatives which institute mechanisms that will restrain unnecessary growth and inappropriate distribution of the supply of health facilities, equipment and services, while preserving existing reasonable access for our citizens, are essential to national cost containment efforts; and

          WHEREAS, The identification, selection and enhancement of appropriate regulatory mechanisms and competitive conditions requires a health planning system to perform prospective need-based planning and monitoring; and

          WHEREAS, The health planning system originally established by Congress in the early 1970's has been funded under continuing resolution in the absence of reauthorization legislation since 1982; and

          WHEREAS, The health planning law needs to be updated to account for the significant changes in health service delivery resulting from the Medicare prospective payment system and private sector initiatives to contain health costs; and

          WHEREAS, Senators Quayle, Durenburger and Weicker have introduced S.1855, The Health Planning and Resource Allocation Act of 1986, which is compromise legislation that continues a national health planning program, and grants states increased flexibility to implement health planning programs that will meet their needs through its block grant provisions;

          NOW, THEREFORE, Your Memorialists respectfully request that the United States Congress take immediate action in the 99th Congress to reauthorize the national health planning program through enactment of S.1855.

          BE IT RESOLVED, That copies of this Memorial be immediately transmitted to the Honorable Ronald Reagan, President of the United States, the President of the United States Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and each member of Congress from the State of Washington.