HCR23 HD1.DOC

WHEREAS, obesity is a major health and economic concern for Hawaii and the nation, causing higher medical costs and lower quality of life; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, adult obesity has more than doubled between 1995 and 2009, and childhood obesity increased by 38 percent from 1999 to 2009; and

WHEREAS, in Hawaii, one in three children entering kindergarten is overweight or obese, and one in two adults is overweight or obese; and

WHEREAS, obesity-related medical expenditures in Hawaii were calculated to be over $470,000,000 in 2009, and continue to rise; and

WHEREAS, obesity is a complex and multifaceted issue that requires the collaboration of stakeholders in government and non-profit, private and healthcare sectors to create systematic large-scale environmental changes; and

WHEREAS, stakeholders must be educated about the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the ongoing efforts of the Hawaii Healthcare Project, and how these changes affect Hawaii's healthcare system; and

WHEREAS, the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act provides an opportunity to assess gaps in healthcare providers' ability to prevent and treat obesity in Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, the payment structure for healthcare providers offering services and counseling related to obesity prevention and treatment must be improved; and

WHEREAS, healthcare providers must be educated about reimbursable medical costs related to obesity prevention and treatment under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act guidelines so that they may be compensated for the provision of these services; and

WHEREAS, healthcare providers must be encouraged to provide services and counseling to overweight and obese patients; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-seventh Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2013, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Health is requested to establish the Obesity Prevention Healthcare Reimbursement Task Force, to:

(1) Assess gaps in healthcare providers' ability to prevent obesity and provide treatment for obesity-related services and counseling;

(2) Investigate providers' reimbursement options for the provision of these services;

(3) Educate providers about these reimbursement options; and

(4) Encourage providers' utilization of reimbursement options; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that government, non-profit, and private healthcare organizations collaborate to increase the provision of obesity-related services and counseling by healthcare providers as mandated under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act guidelines; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Director of Health appoint up to 25 task force members with demonstrated interest in, and backgrounds beneficial to, assisting the function of the task force, including members having extensive knowledge, expertise, or experience in areas such as obesity prevention, healthcare, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, healthcare coding, nutrition and physical activity, and related areas; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to:

(1) Research how other states are implementing obesity prevention reimbursement practices;

(2) Develop recommendations for increasing the provision of obesity-related services and counseling by healthcare providers through additional International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition and Tenth Edition codes, training and education, or other strategies; and

(3) Submit a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2014; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the members of the task force serve without compensation and receive no reimbursement for expenses; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to assist the task force by providing a facilitator; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force cease to exist on June 30, 2014; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Health, Director of Human Services, and Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs.

Report Title:

Obesity Prevention Healthcare Reimbursement Task Force

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	23
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2013		H.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII