SB2101 SD1

SECTION 1. (a) There is established the state health authority task force. The task force shall research, evaluate, and develop a comprehensive plan that establishes the state health authority, a single state agency that shall be responsible for the overall health planning for the State and shall be responsible for determining future capacity needs of health providers, facilities, equipment, and support services providers.

(b) The task force shall be composed of eleven members, three to be appointed by the governor, three appointed by the president of the senate, and three appointed by the speaker of the house of representatives. The remaining two shall be appointed by the governor from the health care industry. There shall also be three ex officio members who are:

(1) The director of health or the director's designee;

(2) The director of business, economic development, and tourism or the director's designee; and

(3) The insurance commissioner or the insurance commissioner's designee.

(1) Providing state-funded health insurance for individuals with incomes up to three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level who are otherwise eligible for benefits under the state's medicaid programs, including QUEST;

(2) Adopting all optional services allowed under the medicaid programs; and

(3) Providing the board of trustees of the Hawaii employer-union health benefits trust fund authority to transfer moneys from the respective funds to the authority.

(d) The task force shall develop a plan that enables the state health authority to purchase all health care based on assessing the feasibility of:

(1) Reimbursing all certified health care providers at a rate to be determined by the authority within thirty days of the provision of care;

(2) Establishing an employer health insurance assessment formula to collect from each employee earning a wage or salary in the State that is based on a percentage of the employee's monthly or hourly wage; and

(3) Collecting or receiving, for purposes of funding the authority's purchase of health care, the following:

(A) The employer health insurance assessment for each individual who earns a wage or salary in the State, including the current medical portion of workers' compensation insurance;

(B) Federal medicaid matching funds;

(D) Self-employed health insurance assessments from individuals who are self-employed, as differentiated from the employee health insurance assessment; and

(E) Individual monthly dues and the medical payment portions as determined by audit of 2002 premiums covering:

(i) Automobile insurance policy premiums;

(ii) Public liability insurance premiums; and

(iii) Homeowners insurance policy premiums;

paid to the authority by insurance carriers on a monthly basis.

(e) The task force shall develop a detailed plan to enable the state health authority to purchase all health care for all residents of the State no later than January 1, 2010.

(f) The task force shall also:

(1) Reevaluate the Prepaid Health Care Act and search for other viable options for universal health care coverage; and

(2) Determine a funding mechanism using the employees, medicaid waiver funds, appropriations, and the health benefits portion of different types of insurance including homeowners, automobile, and liability insurance to draw on federal matching funds.

(g) The task force shall submit its final report, including findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2009.

(h) The task force shall convene its first meeting no later than July 15, 2008 and shall terminate on June 30, 2009.

SECTION 2. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2008.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2101
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII