HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	225
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

URGING THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE & MEDICAID SERVICES AND MEDICAL INSURANCE PROVIDERS TO CREATE A PENALTY OR DISINCENTIVE FOR THOSE WHO ABUSE EMERGENCY ROOM VISITS.

     WHEREAS, the high cost of health care should be everyone's concern; and

     WHEREAS, emergency room visits are six times more expensive than regular office visits and unnecessary emergency room visits add to increased health care costs that are passed on to federal and state governments and, in turn, burden all taxpayers; and

     WHEREAS, emergency rooms are a part of our health care system and are required to provide care to all people whether they can pay or not and, therefore, emergency rooms have turned into clinics for those who are uninsured, underinsured, homeless, and addicted to illegal drugs; and

     WHEREAS, studies show that the majority of people who use emergency rooms for non-emergency treatment have no insurance, or are covered by Medicaid, Medicare, or equivalent state-provided insurance; and

     WHEREAS, non-emergency visits to emergency rooms prolong wait times, cause serious threats to the proper functioning of emergency rooms, and negatively impact those who truly need immediate attention; and

     WHEREAS, the frequency of these non-emergency visits to emergency rooms makes it very difficult to implement the triage system; and

     WHEREAS, emergency rooms are intended for those with serious medical problems and those needing immediate care, but many beds are being used for non-emergency treatment; and

     WHEREAS, charging co-payments for emergency room use will curb abuse; and

     WHEREAS, studies have shown that people who were charged co-payments used emergency rooms twenty to forty percent less than those who were not charged co-payments; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, the Senate concurring, that the Legislature urges the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and major medical insurance providers to find a solution to curb emergency room abuse; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and major medical insurers are urged to impose a fine, charge a co-payment, or levy sanctions against members who abuse the intended use of an emergency room; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Director of Human Services, and the Insurance Commissioner.

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Emergency Room Abuse