STAND. COM. REP. NO. 184-04
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2004
RE: H.B. No. 1866
H.D. 1
Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2004
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1866 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The purpose of this bill is to provide health insurance for more children by:
(1) Establishing a provision that the tobacco settlement moneys transferred to the Department of Human Services (DHS) for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) are for children whose family's income is lower than or equal to 300 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) guidelines for Hawaii;
(2) Appropriating funds to expand SCHIP eligibility to 300 percent of FPL guidelines for Hawaii; and
(3) Appropriating funds for QUEST health care payments to restore funding to the levels that were in place during fiscal year 2002-2003.
The Hawaii Primary Care Association, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Good Beginnings Alliance, and Kokua Council supported this measure. DHS submitted comments.
Your Committee finds that changes to the eligibility criteria for SCHIP will greatly benefit children currently in a gap group for insurance coverage. An estimated 2,500 uninsured children with family incomes between 200 percent and 300 percent of the FPL would qualify for SCHIP benefits under this measure.
Your Committee has amended this bill by:
(1) Staggering the implementation of SCHIP expansion by increasing eligibility to 250 percent of the FPL in the 2004-2005 fiscal year, and to 300 percent of the FPL in 2005-2006 and subsequent years thereafter; and
(2) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1866, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1866, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,
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____________________________ DENNIS A. ARAKAKI, Chair |
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