Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2004

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 54 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to improve the provision of medical assistance to pregnant women.

Specifically, this measure requests the Auditor to determine the impact of the Department of Human Services' new policy of expedited processing of applications received from pregnant women, using the "Medical Assistance Application for Children and Pregnant Women Only" form, to reduce the waiting period for Medicaid or QUEST enrollment and subsequent initiation of prenatal care.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition of Hawai′i, March of Dimes, and an individual. The Department of Human Services submitted comments on this measure.

Your Committee finds that early and continuous prenatal care for pregnant women is a nationally-recognized and recommended standard of care to address both low birthweight and poor birth outcomes in infants. The timely processing of pregnant women for Medicaid eligibility, in order to cover prenatal care, has been a longstanding issue and obstacle to prenatal care for infants born to these women. This measure will verify that Hawaii's pregnant women who are uninsured, and who qualify financially for Medicaid, are receiving timely access to early and continuous prenatal care.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 54 and recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Finance.