STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3016

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2576

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Public Housing and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2576, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR THE HAWAII HEALTH SYSTEMS CORPORATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds for community-based dental health clinics of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation to provide dental services to kupuna, keiki, the developmentally disabled, and the uninsured.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the State Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association.  Comments on the measure were submitted by the Department of Human Services and Hawaii Health Systems Corporation.  Oral comments on the measure were given by the Department of the Attorney General.

     Your Committees find that dental care is one of the major health concerns for individuals with developmental disabilities who too often do not access dental care services in an appropriate and timely manner.  Your Committees further find that there is a great need to subsidize uncompensated operating room costs for anesthesia and surgical procedures for children and adults with developmental disabilities who are patients of Hawaii Health Systems Corporation pediatric dental residency programs, particularly in underserved communities on the neighbor islands.

     Your Committees wish to note that the Hawai‘i Primary Care Association has indicated that an appropriation amount of $150,000 would be appropriate, and used to pay for statewide operating room costs that exceed Medicaid payment allowances.  

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

     (1)  Addressing several of the testifiers concerns regarding the specified expending agency by changing it from the Department of Human Services to the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation; and

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2008.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Public Housing and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2576, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2576, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Public Housing and Health,

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair