STAND. COM. REP. NO.  501

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2009

RE:   H.B. No. 894

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 894 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to improve patient care, reduce errors, and reduce health care costs by:

     (1)  Requiring the Department of Health (DOH) to develop and implement the Patient-centered Health Care Homes Pilot Project (Pilot Project) to provide health care funding to federally qualified health centers;

     (2)  Establishing three levels of fees for service and specifying the allocation of funds for the Pilot Project;

     (3)  Requiring DOH to submit an interim report to the 2010 Legislature and a final report to the 2011 Legislature; and

     (4)  Appropriating funds to provide primary health care funding to federally qualified health centers.

     The Hawaii Primary Care Association testified in support of this bill.  DOH opposed this measure.

     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. 894 and recommend that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair

____________________________ RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair