CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 179

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2009

RE:    H.B. No. 989

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 2

       C.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir and Madam:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the House of Representatives to the amendments proposed by the Senate in H.B. No. 989, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO CHILDREN'S HEALTH CARE,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure health insurance coverage for all of Hawaii's keiki by:

(1)  Amending Act 236, Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, which established the Hawaii Children's Health Care Program (Program), to extend the Program to June 30, 2012; and

(2)  Requiring the Department of Human Services to report various findings and recommendations to the Legislature prior to the 2010 and 2011 Regular Sessions.

     Your Committee on Conference has amended this bill by:

(1)  Requiring that primary health care services for participants in the Program be provided by a federally qualified health centers;

(2)  Requiring the managed care plan partner in the Program to establish payment plans with the state's federally qualified health centers to cover the costs of the participants' primary health care services;

(3)  Appropriating $200,000 for each year of fiscal biennium 2009-2011, as the State's share of funding for the Program;

(4)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2009; and

(5)  Making technical, nonsubstantive changes for clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 989, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 989, H.D. 1, S.D. 2, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair	____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Co-Chair
____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Co-Chair	____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Co-Chair
____________________________ SHAN S. TSUTSUI, Co-Chair	____________________________ SCOTT NISHIMOTO, Co-Chair