STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1658

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   S.B. No. 423

      S.D. 1

      H.D. 2

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Finance, to which was referred S.B. No. 423, S.D. 1, H.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 general funds to maximize the availability of the federal disproportionate share hospital allowance of $12,500,000 secured by Hawaii's Congressional delegation.

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

     Your Committee has amended this bill by inserting an unspecified amount as the appropriation.

     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. 423, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 423, S.D. 1, H.D. 2.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair