STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1951-08

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2008

RE:   S.B. No. 69

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 3

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fourth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2008

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 69, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH CARE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill, as received by your Committee, is to improve the quality of health care for all of Hawaii's residents by:

     (1)  Requiring the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM) to develop and maintain a secure statewide comprehensive health care workforce map and database on the supply, demand, and distribution of health care workers in Hawaii, including projected health care workforce shortages through 2020 and plans to reduce these shortages; and

     (2)  Appropriating $500,000 out of the State Health Planning and Development Agency Special Fund for JABSOM to develop and maintain the statewide comprehensive health care workforce map and database.

     Prior to the hearing on S.B. No. 69, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, a proposed H.D. 3 was circulated and placed on the calendar of your Committee for a hearing.  The purpose of the proposed H.D. 3 is to address the recent health care crisis faced by the children of employees who lost their medical coverage due to the sudden and recent cessation of operations of an inter-island airline in Hawaii.

     The Hawaii Medical Services Association, Hawaii Government Employees Association, and numerous concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Department of Human Services provided comments.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by adopting the language contained in the proposed H.D. 3.  As amended, this bill makes health care insurance available to children of recently unemployed employees of an inter-island air carrier by:

     (1)  Expanding the Hawaii Children's Health Care Program to include children of employees who were employed on March 29, 2008, by a Hawaii inter-island air carrier that was in bankruptcy proceedings on that date; and

     (2)  Making this health insurance available until December 31, 2008, at the latest.

     Other technical, nonsubstantive amendments were also made for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Finance that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 69, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 69, S.D. 2, H.D. 3.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Finance,

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair