STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2217

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 2589

 

 

 

Honorable Shan S. Tsutsui

President of the Senate

Twenty-Sixth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2012

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 2589 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO FOSTER YOUTH,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to require the Department of Human Services to automatically enroll former foster youth in an appropriate medical assistance program and automatically re-enroll former foster youth until they reach the age of twenty-six.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Epic Ohana, Inc.; Family Programs Hawaii; the Hawaii Foster Youth Coalition; the Hawaii Youth Services Network; and six individuals.  Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Human Services.

 

     Your Committee finds that medical coverage is something that is vital for everyone, but even more so for the former foster youth population.  When young adults lack medical coverage, it can result in serious harm from untreated illness or injury, inappropriate use of emergency medical services, and unnecessary costs.  Your Committee further finds that under the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, beginning in 2014, individuals who aged out of foster care and are younger than twenty-six years of age will be eligible for Medicaid.

 

     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. 2589 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

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

 

 

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair