STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2274

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 3008

       S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2016

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 3008 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAL ASSISTANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to promote the health of Hawaii's homeless population by establishing a system to securely gather data regarding homeless individuals' usage of publicly funded medical assistance programs. 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Hawai‘i Pacific Health and one individual.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness under the Office of the Governor, Department of Human Services, and Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that in order to provide important health care to the homeless, the State needs pertinent data regarding the treatments and services administered to the homeless.  Information on the usage of health care can assist policy makers in making informed decisions about allocation of resources and services necessary to assist the homeless.  One way to access data on housing status is on the application for Medicaid.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

     (1)  Deleting the language that proposed a mandatory system of data collection and reporting;

     (2)  Inserting language that allows Medicaid providers to place on Medicaid certification and recertification forms a question composed by the Department of Human Services to determine the housing status of an individual; and

     (3)  Inserting language that allows Medicaid providers to collect and release aggregate housing status data to the Legislature.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 3008, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 3008, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committees on Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Health and Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,

________________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair