WHEREAS, the Insurance Commissioner has jurisdiction over rate regulation of health insurers;

WHEREAS, the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs has jurisdiction over licensing of health professionals; and

WHEREAS, health care costs have been steadily rising, both nationally and locally; and

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Medical Service Association and the Kaiser Foundation Health Plan have reported profits to be down and plan to seek rate increases; and

WHEREAS, Hawaii Pacific Health (a company formed by the merger of Kapiolani Health, Straub Clinic and Hospital, and Wilcox Health Systems) has stated that hospitals have managed to control their costs, but revenues are increasing at a slower rate than the rise in expenses; and

WHEREAS, the rising costs of health care may be due at least in part to the limited number of health care providers available in the State, including providers of long-term care, creating a classic supply and demand balancing act; and

WHEREAS, as health care costs continue to rise, including the costs of long-term care, the State should be looking ahead to evaluate the cause of the present rise in costs, and to possibly predict the growth rate of future cost increases based upon the evaluation of present costs; and

WHEREAS, the State should also determine if the present supply of licensed health care professionals is adequate to meet the needs of the people of the State and if the number of health care professionals available in the State has an impact on the rising costs of health care; and

WHEREAS, local colleges, universities, and high schools have the responsibility to educate and train health care workers and professionals for the health care field; and

WHEREAS, whether or not there is a sufficient supply of health care workers and professionals could be largely dependent upon the capacity and commitment of local colleges, universities, and high schools to provide the education and training programs, majors, and degrees; and

WHEREAS, the education systems in Hawaii may need to be refocused or reformed to meet the challenges of providing sufficient health care workers at present and in the future; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, that the Insurance Commissioner, with the assistance of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, is requested to conduct a study to determine the cause of the present rise in health care costs, and to predict the growth rate of future cost increases based upon the evaluation of present costs, including the costs of long-term care; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study determine the number of licensed health care providers in every licensed health care-related profession and occupation in the State, and the projected increase or decrease in those populations in the next ten years; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study determine if the number of licensed health care professionals is or will be sufficient to meet the current and future demand for health care services, including long-term care services in the State; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Insurance Commissioner report findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2004; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii is requested to convene a task force consisting of representatives from the Department of Education, Hawaii Pacific University, Chaminade University, and Brigham Young University – Hawaii Campus, to determine the capacity of and evaluate the effectiveness of local colleges, universities, and high schools in providing education and training programs, majors, and degrees to meet the current and future demands for health care service providers; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLED that the University of Hawaii at Manoa report findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2004; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Insurance Commissioner, the Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, the President of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the President of Hawaii Pacific University, the President of Chaminade University, the President of Brigham Young University, and the Superintendent of Education.

Report Title:

Health Care Costs; Study; Number of Health Care Professionals