RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, on March 13, 2006, the Department of Human Services issued a Request for Proposal regarding the QUEST program; and

WHEREAS, section 30.500 of the Request for Proposal requires positive enrollment for all current QUEST beneficiaries, to occur between August 1 and August 20, 2006; and

WHEREAS, "positive enrollment" would require all 165,000 QUEST beneficiaries to select a QUEST plan and a Primary Care Provider; and

WHEREAS, current QUEST beneficiaries have already selected a QUEST plan and Primary Care Provider; and

WHEREAS, requiring these vulnerable populations to comply with the positive enrollment requirements may cause confusion, delay needed health care procedures, disrupt case management, or result in the loss of contact between patients and their current Primary Care Providers;

WHEREAS, positive enrollment will place additional costs and administrative burdens on QUEST providers; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2006, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Director of Human Services is urged to amend the Department's March 13, 2006 Request for Proposal to remove the positive enrollment requirement relating to the QUEST program and to reinstate the plan change period provision, by which QUEST beneficiaries are given the option to change plans prior to the beginning of the new contract period; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Human Services is requested to report actions taken in response to this Concurrent Resolution to the Legislature no later than May 1, 2006; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a certified copy of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Human Services.

Report Title:

QUEST