STAND. COM. REP. NO.841

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2003

RE: S.B. No. 884

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Second State Legislature

Regular Session of 2003

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 884 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR MEDICAID PROGRAMS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Human Services for the adult residential alternative community care program, the in-home chore services program, and computerized medicaid claims processing.

The residential alternative community care program provides qualified individuals with placements in community-based residential facilities, including adult foster homes, adult residential care homes, and assisted-living facilities, as a less costly alternative to institutional care. These individuals are medicaid-eligible adults who require nursing-facility level care and are not able to benefit from in-home services because they have no caregiver or residence.

The chore services program provides essential housekeeping services that enable eligible disabled clients to remain living in the community and helps reduce the need for more costly care options, including medical and hospital services and institutionalization.

The federal government requires the State of Hawaii to process all medicaid payments through a federally-approved claims system. To comply with this requirement, the Department of Human Services operates the Hawaii prepaid medicaid management information system for the purpose of processing medicaid waiver claims.

Your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Changing the sums appropriated for the residential alternative community care program, the chore services program, and computerized medicaid claims processing to blank amounts in order to facilitate further discussion of these program activities; and

(2) Making technical nonsubstantive amendments for purposes of clarity and style.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 884, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 884, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

____________________________

BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair