THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

47

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

URGING THE GOVERNOR TO ESTABLISH A NEW DEPARTMENT OF AGING AND LONG-TERM CARE.

 

WHEREAS, in 1993, sixteen per cent of the adult population in Hawaii was aged sixty-five and over, and by the year 2020, that same age group will constitute over one-fourth of Hawaii's adult population, of which nearly one-third is expected to be disabled; and

WHEREAS, currently the average annual nursing home charges in Hawaii are approximately twice the average annual disposable income for these families, and these changes are expected to increase significantly, with the average cost for one year of nursing home care reaching more than $200,000 in the year 2020; and

WHEREAS, strategies need to be adopted to make long-term care affordable in order to prevent families from depleting their savings and becoming impoverished; and

WHEREAS, if they are not adopted, a severe financial burden will face all families and the State, which will have to fund much of the long-term care services through Medicaid; and

WHEREAS, private long-term care insurance policies are currently not affordable, and even for those who can pay, offer only restricted coverage; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Governor is requested to establish a working committee of representatives of the Director of Health, Director of Human Services, Superintendent of Education, Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, President of the University of Hawaii, Director of Transportation, Director of the State Employees Retirement System, Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Director of Human Resources Development, Director of the Office of the Public Guardian, Director of the Office of Health Care Assurance, Executive Director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or their designees, to study the feasibility of establishing a new Department of Aging and Long-Term Care to address issues concerning Hawaii's elderly and disabled populations and promote programs to ensure their economic and social well-being; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the committee is requested to report its recommendations concerning the establishment of the Department of Aging and Long-Term Care no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the 2005 Regular Session; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor of the State of Hawaii, the Director of Health, and the Director of Human Services, Superintendent of Education, Director of Labor and Industrial Relations, President of the University of Hawaii, Director of Transportation, Director of the State Employees Retirement System, Director of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Director of Human Resources and Development, Director of the Office of the Public Guardian, Director of the Office of Health Care Assurance, Executive Director of the Hawaii Government Employees Association, and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Establishing a Department of Aging and Long-Term Care.