HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.R. NO. |
240 |
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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HOUSE RESOLUTION
requests the office of the auditor to review and compare the health care benefits available under the Medicaid Program, the Prepaid Health Care Act, and the health care programs of the Employer-Union Trust Fund.
WHEREAS, under the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act, many employees and their families are able to receive health care benefits by paying for a portion of the health care premium with the remainder being paid for by their employers; and
WHEREAS, despite the broad coverage of the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act, there are still many employees who are not able or eligible to receive health care benefits; and
WHEREAS, employees of the State of Hawaii and the counties are able to receive health care benefits for themselves and their families through health care plans offered by the Employer-Union Trust Fund (EUTF) by paying for a portion of the premium in a manner similar to the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act with the State and counties paying the remainder; and
WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii and the counties, as the former employers of state and county retirees, provide health care plans through the EUTF by paying all or part of the health care premium for eligible retirees and their families; and
WHEREAS, the State of Hawaii and the counties pay hundreds of millions of dollars in health care premiums for their employees and retirees through the EUTF without being able to leverage these funds to keep costs down; and
WHEREAS, under the federal Medicaid program, states can receive a waiver under Section 1115, U.S.C.A. Title 42, to expand Medicaid coverage to families earning up to three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level; and
WHEREAS, under the Medicaid program, states must contribute a percentage of the funds, known as the state match, to pay for the health care benefits provided; and
WHEREAS, some current public sector employees and many public sector retirees earn less than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level and the moneys used by the state and counties to pay for health care through the EUTF could be leveraged and used as the state match to provide coverage under Medicaid for eligible public sector employees and retirees; and
WHEREAS, the health care benefits provided under the Medicaid Program are similar to the benefits available under the Prepaid Health Care Act and the health care programs of the EUTF; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, that the Office of the Auditor is requested to review the health care benefits available under the Medicaid Program, the Prepaid Health Care Act, and the health care programs of the EUTF and report where the benefits provided are the same and where they differ, and whether the benefits under the Medicaid Program can be made similar to the benefits available under the Prepaid Health Care Act and the health care programs of the EUTF; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of the Auditor is requested to review the scope of the Medicaid Waiver Program or any program in the Medicaid Act which allows for expansion of coverage to determine the feasibility of:
(1) Covering private sector employees and their families earning less than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level under the Medicaid Act regardless of whether the employee is currently covered under the Prepaid Health Care Act;
(2) Using the amount of the employer’s payment for coverage under the Prepaid Health Care Act to reimburse the State for its portion of the state match in order to pay for coverage of private employees who are eligible for Medicaid because they earn less than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level;
(3) Covering public sector employees and their families earning less than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level under Medicaid regardless of whether the employee is currently covered under health care programs provided by the EUTF;
(4) Covering public sector retirees and their families earning less than three hundred per cent of the federal poverty level under Medicaid regardless of whether the retiree is currently covered under health care programs provided by the EUTF; and
(5) Using state and county funds currently used to pay for the health care programs under the EUTF as the state match for Medicaid; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Office of the Auditor is requested to submit its report to the Legislature on the above matters no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2011 Regular Session of the Legislature; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the State Auditor, and the Director of Health.
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OFFERED BY: |
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Auditor report comparing Medicaid, Prepaid Health Care Act, & EUTF