STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1394

                                 Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                   , 1999

                                 RE: S.B. No. 157
                                     S.D. 1
                                     H.D. 1




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

Sir:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health, to
which was referred S.B. No. 157, S.D. 1, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION TO PROVIDE
     PREVENTIVE DENTAL SERVICES TO ADULTS,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this bill is to restore dental benefits to
adults covered by the Medicaid and Med-QUEST programs on a fee
for service basis through the Department of Human Services'
(DHS).

     The Office of Hawaiian Affairs, the Commission on Persons
with Disabilities, the Arc in Hawaii, the State Planning Council
on Developmental Disabilities, the League of Women Voters of
Hawaii, the Hawaii State Primary Care Association, the Waianae
Coast Comprehensive Health Center, the Honolulu Monthly Meeting
of the Religious Society of Friends, and many individuals
testified in support of this measure.  DHS commented on this
measure.

     Your Committees find that due to budget cutbacks, the
Department of Health (DOH) and community health centers, in
addition to Medicaid and Med-QUEST programs, have either
discontinued or scaled down adult dentistry services for adults.
In effect, this has prohibited adults with disabilities and the
elderly from maintaining optimum health.


 
 
                                 STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1394
                                 Page 2

 
     To restore preventive dental services, your Committees have
amended this measure by appropriating additional funds to DOH and
community health centers to provide preventive dental services
for adults.  Technical, nonsubstantive amendments have also been
made for clarity and style.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your
Committees on Human Services and Housing and Health that are
attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the
intent and purpose of S.B. No. 157, S.D. 1, as amended herein,
and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached
hereto as S.B. No. 157, S.D. 1, H.D. 1, and be referred to the
Committee on Finance.

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

                                   
                                   
                                   
                                   
______________________________     ______________________________
ALEXANDER C. SANTIAGO, Chair       DENNIS ARAKAKI, Chair