STAND. COM. REP. NO. 146

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.B. No. 21

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred S.B. No. 21 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAID,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require legislative approval before the Department of Human Services can apply for a medicaid waiver from the federal government.

Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by Aloha Care. The State Council on Developmental Disabilities supported the intent of this measure and provided comments. Testimony in opposition to this measure was submitted by the Department of Human Services.

Your Committee finds that medicaid waiver commitments have a serious financial impact on the State as well as the quality of care received by medicaid beneficiaries. Changes to the medicaid program could take place without legislative knowledge or opportunity to comment. Your Committee believes that there are vast implications for future costs to the State, public health policy, and impact on medicaid recipients so that legislative review is required.

Your Committee has adopted the amendment suggested by the Department of Human Services to allow the legislature to review and submit comments thirty to sixty days prior to the submission of the medicaid waiver.

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. 21, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 21, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committees on Judiciary and Hawaiian Affairs and Ways and Means.

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

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair