STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1097

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1664
                                     H.D. 3




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred H.B. No.
1664, H.D. 2, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to strengthen the Hawaii Patient
Bill of Rights and Responsibilities Act by implementing the
recommendations of the Patients Rights and Responsibilities Task
Force.

     The Department of Health, Hawaii Medical Service
Association, State Farm Insurance Companies, the Hawaii Health
Information Corporation, the Hawaii Coalition for Health, Legal
Aid Society of Hawaii, the University Health Alliance, and the
Hawaii Nurses' Association testified in support of this measure.
The Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the Hawaii
Medical Association, Kaiser Permanente, the Hawaii Insurers
Council, and members of the Hawaii Patients Rights and
Responsibilities Task Force commented on this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Deleting the provision that the enrollee of a plan must
          prevail before the review panel to be awarded
          attorneys' fees and reasonable costs on an action
          brought against the plan; and


 
 
 
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                                 Page 2

 
     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments to correct
          drafting errors and for clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your
Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No.
1664, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1664, H.D.
3.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Finance,



                                   ______________________________
                                   DWIGHT Y. TAKAMINE, Chair