WHEREAS, Medicaid is a program that pays for medical assistance for certain individuals and families with low incomes and resources; and

WHEREAS, the Medicaid program is a critical source of support for people with mental illness; and

WHEREAS, according to the Department of Human Services, Medicaid is the single largest source of financing for mental health care and encompasses over half of state and local spending on mental health services; and

WHEREAS, the federal government is planning to reduce Medicaid funding due to federal budget shortfalls; and

WHEREAS, additional cuts in federal Medicaid funding will mean fewer low-income people will receive mental health services; and

WHEREAS, more restrictions will be applied to the services that are available; and

WHEREAS, any reduction in benefits or the level of benefits by the federal government would place more burden on the State of Hawaii to make up for the cutback; and

WHEREAS, limiting Medicaid services would not reduce costs, but would transfer them to already overburdened hospital emergency rooms or criminal justice systems; and

WHEREAS, under current law, emergency rooms cannot turn away someone in crises, and emergency care is one of the most expensive types of health care and far more costly than routine mental health treatment; and

WHEREAS, individuals unable to receive suitable mental health treatment often end up in the criminal justice system, increasing legal and prison costs in a system that is neither designed nor capable of meeting their needs; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2005, that the President of the United States, the United States Congress and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services are urged to preserve the amount of Medicaid coverages and the amount of benefits; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President of the United States Senate, the Director of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the members of Hawaii's congressional delegation.

Report Title:

Medicaid Benefits