STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2861

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 2157

       H.D. 1

       S.D. 1

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2010

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 2157, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO EXPANDED ADULT RESIDENTIAL CARE HOMES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to increase from two to three the number of nursing facility level residents that Type I Expanded Adult Residential Care Homes may accept.

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Big Island Adult Residential Care Homes, the Big Island Adult Foster Homes, Lou's Quality Home Health Care Services, LLC, the Alliance of Residential Care Administrators, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, and five individuals.  Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Health.  Written testimony presented to the Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committees find that our State is facing a long-term care crisis because there are not enough long-term care facilities to meet the State's healthcare needs.  The shortage of long-term care facilities is negatively affecting acute care facilities because patients must often remain in acute care while waiting for an opening in a long-term care facility.  This causes great and unnecessary expense to acute care hospitals, patients, and insurance providers and needlessly occupies beds needed for acute care patients.

     Your Committees further find that by increasing the number of nursing facility level residents that a Type I adult residential care home may accept, this measure takes one step toward alleviating the long-term care crisis in this State.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by changing the effective date to January 1, 2045 to encourage further discussion of this issue.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2157, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2157, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be placed on the calendar for Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Human Services,

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

____________________________ DAVID Y. IGE, Chair