STAND. COM. REP. NO.1360
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2003
RE: H.B. No. 122
S.D. 2
Honorable Robert Bunda
President of the Senate
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2003
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 122, S.D. 1, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PRESUMPTIVE MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY FOR PREGNANT WOMEN,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this measure is to provide early and continuous medical care for pregnant women by establishing presumptive eligibility for medicaid or QUEST coverage for prenatal care or other medical services related to the pregnancy.
In addition, the bill provides that infants of women presumptively covered by medicaid or QUEST are deemed eligible for services and will be processed for the state children's health insurance program.
Your Committee finds that aiding pregnant women to receive appropriate prenatal care prevents developmental disabilities, reduces medical costs, and prevents poor perinatal outcomes. Early and continuous prenatal care for pregnant women is recommended nationally as a standard of care by virtually all maternal and child health organizations. Your Committee further finds that early and continuous prenatal care for pregnant women is a basic, cost-effective method for preventing low birth weight and poor birth outcomes and for increasing the likelihood that infants will receive consistent preventive care during the crucial early years of development.
Upon further consideration, your Committee has amended the bill by:
(1) Providing that the presumptive eligibility will be effective for two years from the effective date of the Act. Your Committee received information from the Department of Human Services indicating that there will be increased costs due to this measure. Your Committee wants to review the impact of this bill, and that is the reason to limit the presumptive eligibility for two years;
(2) Clarifying that notice of disenrollment may be given by facsimile transmission or e-mail;
(3) Requiring the Department of Human Services to submit a report concerning the costs of the presumptive eligibility to the Legislature twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2006; and
(4) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and uniformity.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 122, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 122, S.D. 2.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,
|
____________________________ BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair |
||