STAND. COM. REP. NO.  123-14

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2014

RE:   H.B. No. 1752

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1752 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to:

(1)  Provide quality medical, dental, and behavioral healthcare to uninsured and underinsured patients and restore adult dental care to Medicaid enrollees;

(2)  Make outreach, eligibility, and behavioral services available at community health centers; and

(3)  Establish health care homes for Medicaid enrollees.

The Office of the Governor, State Council on Developmental Disabilities, Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center, Malama I Ke Ola Health Center, Waikiki Health Center, Ho‘ola Lahui Hawaii, Waimanalo Health Center, Kokua Kalihi Valley Comprehensive Family Services, Community Alliance for Mental Health, Wahiawa Center for Community Health, West Hawaii Community Health Center, and a large number of concerned individuals supported this bill.  The Department of Human Services, Department of Health, and Hawaii Primary Care Association provided comments on this bill.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1)  Inserting blank appropriation amounts to facilitate further discussion;

(2)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to facilitate additional discussion; and

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

Your Committees respectfully request the House Committee on Finance to consider the following appropriation amounts in its deliberations:

(1)  $6,000,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the provision of direct health care for the uninsured and underinsured, which may include primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care;

(2)  $4,800,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to restore basic adult dental benefits to Medicaid enrollees;

(3)  $800,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to provide outreach and eligibility services, including Medicaid and children's health insurance programs availability, at Federally Qualified Health Centers;

(4)  $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to be appropriated out of the general revenues to establish health care homes in Medicaid as provided in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; and

(5)  $2,000,000 for fiscal year 2014-2015 to be appropriated out of the Community Health Centers Special Fund to establish health care homes in Medicaid as provided in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1752, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1752, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair

____________________________ MELE CARROLL, Chair