STAND. COM. REP. NO. 696

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 1094

       S.D. 2

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 1094, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to establish a pilot program to create and fund patient-centered health care homes.

     Specifically, this measure:

(1)  Directs the Department of Health to establish the patient-centered health care homes pilot project in fiscal years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 to provide primary health care funding to federally qualified health centers;

(2)  Establishes a three-tiered fee-for-service system for providing uninsured services and establishes health data reporting requirements appropriate to each level of service;

(3)  Requires the Department of Health to submit to the Legislature an interim report and a final report on the outcome of the pilot projects, and along with a recommendation of whether to continue the project; and

(4)  Appropriates moneys for the pilot program, provided that only moneys received by the State pursuant to the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 may be expended for purpose of this measure.

     Your Committee finds that patient-centered health care homes have been found to provide improved health care outcomes by taking a holistic approach to health care.  Instead of providing episodic treatment, these centers focus on comprehensive health care that emphasizes preventative medicine, integration and coordination of patient care, continuous data collection and reporting, and timely access to care that overcomes economic and cultural barriers.  Your Committee finds that these centers provide a variety of "enabling" services that include transportation, counseling outreach, health education, and case management, that, when taken as a whole, form a comprehensive approach to patient wellness.  Your Committee further finds that federally-qualified community health centers in medically underserved areas or which serve medically underserved populations have adopted an appropriate model for a patient-centered health care home that provides the services described.

Your Committee believes that this approach to providing health care may prove effective in providing quality public health care services to underserved communities in Hawaii.  Accordingly, your Committee finds that providing funding to federally qualified community health centers to establish the patient-centered health care homes pilot project may yield positive results in improving the overall health of Hawaii's residents.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing the effective date to January 1, 2050, to facilitate further discussion on this measure; and

(2)  Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 1094, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 1094, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

DONNA MERCADO KIM, Chair