Report Title:

State Health Authority

 

Description:

Establishes the state health authority to purchase all health care for all residents by July 1, 2004. Empowers authority to assess employee and self-employed health assessments on all workers and collect medical portions of all insurance policies to reimburse purchases of health care.

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2763

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to health.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. State health authority; established; powers; collective bargaining. (a) There is established the state health authority, as established under the Federal Health Insurance Flexibility Act of 2001. Beginning on January 1, 2003, the authority shall be the designated state Medicaid agency.

(b) The authority shall have the following powers:

(1) Purchase health care for all public employees and all individuals eligible for Medicaid;

(2) No later than July 1, 2004, purchase all health care for all residents in the State of Hawaii;

(3) Reimburse all certified health care providers a rate to be determined by the authority within thirty days of the provision of care;

(4) Assess each individual earning a wage or salary in the State a monthly employee health assessment, which shall be a percentage of the employee's monthly wage, based on hourly wages, of each employee of all hours worked in the month. The authority shall determine and establish the employee health assessment formula, which, at all times, shall be based on the actual payments made for health care in the prior twelve-month period, plus administrative costs for the authority; and

(5) Collect or receive, for purposes of funding the authority's purchase of health care, the following:

(A) The employee health assessment from each individual who earns a wage or salary in the State, including the current medical portion of workers compensation insurance;

(B) Federal Medicaid matching funds;

(C) State general appropriations;

(D) Self-employed health assessments, from individuals who are self-employed, as differentiated from the employee health assessment, based on an assessment formula to be determined by the authority; and

(E) Individual monthly dues and the medical payment portions of:

(i) Automobile insurance policy premiums;

(ii) Public liability insurance premiums; and

(iii) Homeowners insurance policy premiums (a percentage determined by audit of the 2002 premium;

paid to the authority by the insurance carriers on a monthly basis. All insurance of any kind that includes coverage for health care shall reimburse to the authority monthly that portion of the premium attributed to health care, for example, insurance covering cancer, dental care, long-term care, etc.

SECTION 2. This Act shall take effect upon its approval.

INTRODUCED BY:

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