CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REP. NO. 19-16

Honolulu, Hawaii

                 , 2016

RE:    S.B. No. 2213

       S.D. 2

       H.D. 1

       C.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sirs:

     Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 2213, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE NURSING FACILITY SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM,"

having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.

     The purpose of this measure is to:

     (1)  Continue the nursing facility sustainability program for an additional year; and

     (2)  Appropriate funds for fiscal year 2016-2017 from the nursing facility sustainability program special fund for uses consistent with the fund.

     Your Committee on Conference finds that ensuring that nursing facilities remain financially viable is crucial for Hawaii residents to continue to have access to long term care resources.  Your Committee on Conference notes that Medicaid patients make up the majority of nursing facilities' patient population, and Medicaid payments are less than the actual costs of care.  Your Committee on Conference recognizes that the nursing facility sustainability program increases Medicaid payments to Hawaii's nursing facilities and has successfully helped these facilities to offset some of the losses that they incur while caring for the most underserved patients.  Accordingly, your Committee on Conference finds that this measure will enable the nursing facility sustainability program to continue supporting the crucial services provided by nursing facilities.

     Accordingly, your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Inserting an appropriation amount of $14,000,000 from the nursing facility sustainability program special fund for uses consistent with the nursing facility sustainability program special fund; and

     (2)  Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2213, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2213, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, C.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:

ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE

ON THE PART OF THE SENATE

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Co-Chair	____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair
____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Co-Chair	____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER, Co-Chair
____________________________ BERTRAND KOBAYASHI, Co-Chair	____________________________ JILL N. TOKUDA, Co-Chair