STAND. COM. REP. NO. 570-24

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2024

RE: H.B. No. 408

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2024

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health & Homelessness and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 408, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to authorize the Department of Health to certify community care foster family homes for four Medicaid beds and to place an additional Medicaid individual in the community care foster family home under certain conditions and at its discretion.

Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Governor's Coordinator on Homelessness; Adult Foster Homecare Association of Hawaii; Alliance of Professional Primary Care Administrators; United Community Healthcare of Hawaii; and numerous individuals. Your Committees received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services and Department of Health.

Your Committees find that community care foster family homes are an integral part of the State's continuum of long-term care. These foster homes provide a less restrictive community-based setting for Medicaid recipients at a nursing facility level of care, which allows recipients to remain in a home in the community rather than go into a nursing home. Your Committees further find that allowing married couples with private insurance who currently reside in community care foster family homes to stay together provides a significant benefit to the health and well-being of community care foster family home clients.

Accordingly, your Committees have amended this measure by:

(1) Reverting to existing statutory language allowing married private-pay individuals to reside in the same community care foster family home;

(2) Clarifying requirements for certification for a fourth bed;

(3) Removing language that would have expanded community care foster family home certifications to include expanded adult residential care homes and assisted living facilities; and

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

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health & Homelessness and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 408, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 408, H.D. 2, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

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

____________________________ LISA MARTEN, Chair

____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair