STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1404

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.C.R. No. 172

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 172 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION URGING CONGRESS TO APPROVE THE UNITED STATES NATIONAL HEALTH CARE ACT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to urge Congress to approve the United States National Health Care Act.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from two individuals.

     Written testimony presented to your Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that single-payer health insurance that provides coverage to everyone is important to the long-term health and well being of Hawaii residents.  H.R. 676, the United States National Health Care Act, would be an effective solution to the health insurance crisis by providing a universal, comprehensive, single payer system of high quality national health insurance for everyone, provided that improvements are made that focus less on placing the burden on employees and more on mandating businesses to provide insurance for all of their employees.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by inserting language that highlights the success of the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act and the rising rate of uninsured persons in recent years, despite that success.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 172, as amended herein, and recommends its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 172, S.D. 1.

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

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair