STAND. COM. REP. NO.  398

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2017

RE:   H.B. No. 92

      H.D. 1

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 92 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE FACILITIES,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to preserve access to health care for Medicaid recipients by providing and funding an inflation adjustment to the long-term care reimbursement methodology used to reimburse long-term care facilities for Medicaid recipients.

The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) Corporate Board of Directors; HHSC East Hawaii Region; HHSC Oahu Region; Hawaii Chapter of the American Physical Therapy Association; The Queen's Health Systems; Hawaii Pacific Health; Ohana Pacific Management Company, Inc.; Hale Makua Health Services; Healthcare Association of Hawaii; One Kalakaua Senior Living; and several individuals testified in support of this measure.  The Department of Human Services commented on this measure.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2075, to facilitate further discussion on this measure; and

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity and consistency.

     Should the Committee on Finance hear this measure, your Committees respectfully request that it consider appropriating $1,887,883 for fiscal year 2017-2018 and $4,056,077 for fiscal year 2018-2019 to provide an inflation adjustment to long-term care facilities' provider-specific prospective payment rates.

     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. 92, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 92, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair

____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Chair