STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1304

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2005

RE: S.C.R. No. 30

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2005

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Health and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing, to which was referred S.C.R. No. 30 entitled:

"SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION REQUESTING AN ASSESSMENT OF THE COST TO INSURE A GROUP HEALTH INSURANCE PLAN FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII BASED ON A RISK POOL EQUIVALENT TO THE STATE'S POPULATION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to request an assessment of the cost to insure a group health insurance plan for the State of Hawaii based on a risk pool equivalent to the State's population.

Americans for Democratic Action/Hawaii submitted comments.

Your Committees find that at various times the Legislature has been presented with bills that would provide universal health care financing through a "single payer" system whereby a state entity pays health care providers. A single payer system involves the pooling of risks of health care expenses over all or nearly all of Hawaii's population. It is prudent to begin the search for global insurers qualified to underwrite risk pools equivalent to the size of extremely large corporations or an entire state of over 1.2 million residents. Further, Hawaii's unique insurance laws make it imperative that the proposal-counter proposals between qualified global carriers and the State be flexible enough to support the modification, amendment, or even the repeal of laws that either obstruct the bidding process or the enactment of the State's universal group health plan.

This measure will begin the process of assessing the availability of insurance to help finance a single payer health insurance program for all of Hawaii's residents based upon a risk pool the size of the state population, including "best estimate", contingent, or "trial application" premium quotes from global and national insurers; and at a minimum, generate an estimated premium for the plan required under the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act.

Upon further consideration, your Committees have amended this measure by requesting that if H.B. 1304 passes in any form, that the temporary healthcare task force established under that measure be tasked with conducting any research necessary for the purpose of this measure under the direction of the Senate and House Committees on Health and for that task force to submit a report to the Senate and House Committees on Health.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.C.R. No. 30, as amended herein, recommend that it be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, in the form attached hereto as S.C.R. No. 30, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Health and Commerce, Consumer Protection, and Housing,

____________________________

RON MENOR, Chair

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ROSALYN H. BAKER, Chair