STAND. COM. REP. NO.1603

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: H.C.R. No. 93

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing, to which was referred H.C.R. No. 93 entitled:

"HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING A STUDY OF THE FEASIBILITY OF MEDICAL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request the Auditor to analyze the social and financial impacts of medical savings accounts on the Prepaid Health Care Act.

The Hawaii Medical Association and Hawaii Medical Service Association testified in support of this measure.

Several measures introduced this session (House Bills Nos. 450, 1167, and 1293) authorize the establishment of medical savings accounts. Your Committee finds that the authorization of medical savings accounts would provide consumers with greater options regarding health care coverage, but may affect the viability of the State's Prepaid Health Care Act and raises other issues. Therefore, this measure requests the Auditor to conduct a social and financial analysis of the impact medical savings accounts would have on the Prepaid Health Care Act and to examine the feasibility of medical savings accounts under the aforementioned measures.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of H.C.R. No. 93, and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Commerce, Consumer Protection and Housing,

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair