REPORT TITLE:
Health services


DESCRIPTION:
Appropriates funds to provide necessary funds to enable the
department of human services to raise the income eligibility
level for the medically needy program to one hundred thirty-three
per cent of the assistance allowance.  (HB1726 HD1)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                        1726
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES                H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
TWENTIETH LEGISLATURE, 1999                                
STATE OF HAWAII                                            
                                                             
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________


                   A  BILL  FOR  AN  ACT

RELATING TO FAMILY HEALTH SERVICES.



BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 1      SECTION 1.  The legislature finds that a significant number
 
 2 of individuals in the State and throughout the nation are unable
 
 3 to receive necessary health care services due to overrestrictive
 
 4 federal and state regulations.  Many of these individuals are
 
 5 persons who derive their income solely or largely from Social
 
 6 Security and have terminal, debilitating, or life-threatening
 
 7 illnesses.  Due to these unwieldy regulations, some persons must
 
 8 spend nearly half of their monthly income to qualify for
 
 9 Medicaid, while others cannot afford to "spend down" and
 
10 therefore must do without critical health care, including
 
11 necessary treatment and services for sexually transmitted
 
12 diseases, AIDS, and family health services.
 
13      The legislature recognizes that the concept of spend-down is
 
14 generally related to eligibility for Medicaid's medically needy
 
15 program.  However, federal requirements do not allow states to
 
16 defer spend-down requirements.  To do so would cause a state to
 
17 be in noncompliance with federal requirements resulting in the
 
18 withholding of federal funding.  In fact, the Medicaid spend-down
 
19 requirements apply to all persons who are eligible under the
 

 
Page 2                                                     1726
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1 medically needy program, and under federal provisions, exceptions
 
 2 are not allowed for any group of individuals.
 
 3      Under the Medicaid program, there is a provision that allows
 
 4 a state to expand coverage to persons who are above the Medicaid
 
 5 income level but are low income and deemed "medically needy".
 
 6 Section 346-14, Hawaii Revised Statutes, empowers the department
 
 7 of human services to establish the income eligibility level for
 
 8 the medically needy program at one hundred thirty-three per cent
 
 9 of the assistance allowance, subject to the appropriation of
 
10 state funds and availability of federal matching assistance.  The
 
11 legislature finds that if the income eligibility level for the
 
12 medically needy program were raised, then health care services
 
13 could be expanded to assist those who are deemed medically and
 
14 financially needy.
 
15      The purpose of this Act is to provide necessary funds to
 
16 enable the department of human services to raise the income
 
17 eligibility level for the medically needy program.
 
18      SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general
 
19 revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1 or so much thereof
 
20 as may be necessary for fiscal year 1999-2000 to provide
 
21 necessary funds to enable the department of human services to
 
22 raise the income eligibility level for the medically needy
 
23 program to one hundred thirty-three per cent of the assistance
 
24 allowance.
 

 
Page 3                                                     1726
                                     H.B. NO.           H.D. 1
                                                        
                                                        

 
 1      SECTION 3.  The sum appropriated shall be expended by the
 
 2 department of human services for the purposes of this Act.
 
 3      SECTION 4.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 1999.