STAND. COM. REP. NO. 630

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: H.B. No. 1048
                                     H.D. 1




Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Labor and Public Employment, to which was
referred H.B. No. 1048 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEES HEALTH
     FUND,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to require all retired employee-
beneficiaries and their spouses to enroll in the federal Medicare
Part B medical insurance plan, if eligible.

     The Board of Trustees of the Hawaii Public Employees Health
Fund submitted testimony in support of this measure, noting that
approximately 540 retired employees, including spouses, may be
eligible for, but are not enrolled in the federal Medicare plan,
which results in higher monthly non-Medicare health insurance
premiums for them.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making technical,
nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of style and clarity.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Labor and Public Employment that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 1048, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1048, H.D.
1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.


 
 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 630
                                 Page 2

 
                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Labor and Public
                                   Employment,



                                   ______________________________
                                   TERRY NUI YOSHINAGA, Chair