Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 1235 entitled:

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to support cost-effective care for Hawaii's elderly by extending the All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) program for two years while PACE await final federal approval and permanent status.

The Department of Human Services and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation supported this bill.

Your Committees find that PACE is an important resource to our aging community and to those who care for them. PACE helps many of our elderly population maintain a somewhat independent lifestyle for an extended period of time and allows them and their families to avoid huge expenses if a more institutionalized setting were their only option for care.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1235 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.