HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	81
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE RESOLUTION

urging the department of human services to conduct a public awareness campaign for the quest-ace health insurance program.

     WHEREAS, improving Hawaii's healthcare safety net is a sensible goal that results in a healthier community; and

     WHEREAS, a three-year survey conducted between 2003-2005 indicated that approximately 13 percent of adults age 19-64 were uninsured, or more than 99,000 people; and

     WHEREAS, although Hawaii's Prepaid Health Care Act requires employers to provide insurance coverage to employees who work at least 20 hours per week, there is a gap group of uninsured adults; and

     WHEREAS, this gap group includes the working poor who have part-time jobs and don't earn enough to pay for private insurance programs, but their incomes make them ineligible to participate in existing state programs; and

     WHEREAS, QUEST-ACE (Adult Coverage Expansion) is a health insurance program designed to cover up to 20,000 gap group adults; and

     WHEREAS, QUEST-ACE is open to adults with children, the blind and disabled, and some small business owners; and

     WHEREAS, QUEST-ACE includes a variety of benefits and services, including outpatient visits, inpatient hospital days, mental health visits, and limited prescription drug and dental benefits; and

     WHEREAS, language and interpreter services are also included, a much-needed benefit for those with limited English-speaking skills; and

     WHEREAS, the burden on overcrowded emergency rooms will be eased since insurance coverage will encourage early, preventative health care; and

     WHEREAS, coverage provided under QUEST-ACE will likely result in savings to hospitals that lose an estimated $150,000,000 per year providing care to the uninsured or underinsured; and

     WHEREAS, an innovative program such as QUEST-ACE needs to be adequately publicized to the approximately 99,000 uninsured adults in Hawaii; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, that this body urges the Department of Human Services (DHS) to conduct a public awareness campaign for the QUEST-ACE health insurance program; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED in its public awareness campaign, DHS is requested to create literature that could be included in utility statements such as gas, water, and electric bills, and posters or flyers that could be posted at all University of Hawaii system campuses, community health centers, welfare service centers, and nonprofit human service organizations; and

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

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title: 

QUEST-ACE Public Awareness Campaign; DHS