Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.R. No. 135 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a task force to study the feasibility of creating public-private partnerships to provide cost-effective rehabilitation services to low income and Medicaid-eligible individuals and government employees.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Hawaii Services for the Disabled, Inc.; Legislative Information Services of Hawaii; and two concerned citizens. The Department of Human Services submitted comments on this measure.

Your Committee finds that increases in health care costs, and concomitant increases in insurance premiums and worker's compensation payments, are a matter of great concern. With the uncertainty that war causes, the ensuing economic downturn will further shrink the state budget. The State must consider new and innovative ways to control spiraling health care costs for State employees and for uninsured, underinsured, and low income Medicaid and QUEST participants. Your Committee further finds that there are organizations in the community that have successfully implemented innovative approaches to providing cost-effective health care services that could be informative to the State's efforts in this area.

To facilitate further discussion and collaboration to address this important issue, your Committee recommends the measure's adoption with the following amendments:

(1) Deleting the requirement for a task force;

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 135, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 135, S.D. 1.