STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1254

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   S.B. No. 423

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 1

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 423, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to ensure continued access to health care in our communities and meet rising health care costs by appropriating $10,181,909 in state funds to maximize the availability of the federal disproportionate share hospital allowance of $12,500,000 secured by Hawaii's Congressional delegation.

     Kaiser Permanente Hawaii, The Queen's Medical Center, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and AARP Hawaii supported this bill.  The Department of Human Services opposed this bill.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

(1)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion; and

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

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 423, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 423, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair