STAND. COM. REP. NO.  1170

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2011

 

RE:   S.B. No. 240

      S.D. 2

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2011

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 240, S.D. 2, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO PHYSICIAN WORKFORCE ASSESSMENT,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this bill is to improve health care by making the Physician Workforce Assessment Fee (Fee) permanent and requiring a portion of the Fee to be used to support physician workforce assessment and planning for rural and medically underserved areas.

 

     The Workforce Development Council, Hawaii Medical Association, Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, and a concerned individual testified in support of this bill.  The University of Hawaii System supported this measure with amendments.  The Hawaii Medical Board opposed this bill.

 

     Your Committee has amended this bill by:

 

     (1)  Specifying that the portion of the Fee that was to be used for workforce assessment and planning shall be used to:

 

          (A)  Address communication of federal health care reform and implementation of the Affordable Care Act;

 

          (B)  Develop and support the medical home model; and

 

          (C)  Support increases in physician reimbursements;

 

          and

 

     (2)  Extending the repeal date of the Fee and the John A. Burns School of Medicine Special Fund, as amended by this measure, to July 1, 2015.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 240, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 240, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair