STAND. COM. REP. NO.  783

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 703

      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 Finance, to which was referred H.B. No. 703 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to meet rising health care costs and ensure that Hawaii's residents have continued access to quality health care by appropriating state funds to maximize the availability of the federal disproportionate share hospital allowance.  Specifically, this bill appropriates $10,181,909 for fiscal year 2009-2010 as the State's share to maximize the availability of the federal disproportionate share hospital allowance to the State.

     The Hawaii Government Employees Association, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, AARP, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Hawaii Medical Service Association, The Queen's Medical Center, and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii testified in support of this bill.  The Department of Human Services opposed this measure.

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

     (1)  Blanking out the amount of the appropriation; and

     (2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2020, to encourage further discussion.

     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 H.B. No. 703, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 703, H.D. 1.

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

____________________________

MARCUS R. OSHIRO, Chair