STAND. COM. REP. NO. 751

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.B. No. 262

       S.D. 2

 

 

 

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Eighth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2015

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 262, S.D. 1, entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE NURSING FACILITY SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to continue the nursing facility sustainability program by extending the program's sunset date to June 30, 2016, and appropriating funds from the nursing facility sustainability program special fund.

 

     Your Committee received written comments in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Hawaii Primary Care Association, The Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and The Queen's Health Systems.

 

     Your Committee finds that most residents in Hawaii's nursing facilities are Medicaid enrollees.  However, Medicaid payments to nursing facilities were previously not sufficient to cover the actual costs of providing care to these residents.  The Legislature sought to address this situation when it created the nursing facility sustainability program to increase Medicaid payments to nursing facilities.

 

Your Committee further finds that it is necessary to extend the nursing facility sustainability program to ensure that nursing facility residents who benefit from the program continue to have access to quality care.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by making a technical nonsubstantive amendment to clarify language in section 2 of the Act regarding the repeal and reenactment of section 36-30(a), Hawaii Revised Statutes.

 

     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. 262, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 262, S.D. 2.

 

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

 

 

 

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair