Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor and Public Employment and Health, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 151 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this concurrent resolution is to attempt to find a solution to the problem of uninsured individuals by requesting the establishment of an interim Task Force on Universal Health Care (Task Force).

The Hawaii Medical Association, AlohaCare, and a member of the Health Futures Task Force testified in support of this measure. Kaiser Permanente supported the intent of this measure. The Hawaii Medical Services Association, Hawaii Psychiatric Medical Association, and a concerned citizen commented on this measure.

Your Committees find that the cost of health care, long-term care, prescription drug costs, and health care insurance are rising and causing economic hardship for many Hawaii residents. These increased costs have also caused many Hawaii residents to go without insurance. Although Hawaii is unique in that it has the Prepaid Health Care Act (PHCA), which mandates that all employees working more than 20 hours a week for at least four consecutive

weeks are eligible to receive health care insurance through their

employers, many employers are able to get around this requirement through the hiring of part-time individuals. Thus, many residents of Hawaii do not have health insurance.

Although your Committees recognize that there may be a need for a universal health care system, many questions remain as to how to proceed with such a project and what effects the provision of universal health care would have on businesses, employers, the State, employees, and PHCA. Thus, your Committees find that a task force should be established to review all aspects of Hawaii's health care system and determine the feasibility of establishing a universal health care system in the State. The report and recommendations of this task force will allow the Legislature to make informed decisions on this important policy matter.

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor and Public Employment and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent

and purpose of H.C.R. No. 151, as amended herein, and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as H.C.R. No. 151, H.D. 1.