THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

170

TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2009

S.D. 2

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE HAWAII STATE LEGISLATURE TO CONVENE A HAWAII HEALTH CARE SUMMIT TO DEVELOP A STRATEGIC AND COMPREHENSIVE PLAN FOR HEALTH CARE IN HAWAII.

 

 


     WHEREAS, according to the State Scorecard published in 2007 by The Commonwealth Fund, Hawaii ranked number one among the states in health system performance, is a leader in reforming and improving its health system, and has one of the lowest uninsured rates in the nation; and

 

     WHEREAS, life expectancy at birth in Hawaii is among the longest in the nation.  In 2000, the most recent year for which state estimates are available, a person born in Hawaii had a life expectancy of eighty years, three years longer than the national average and the fifth longest average life expectancy in the world; and

 

     WHEREAS, survey data collected by the federal government that compare private employer-sponsored health insurance premiums in Hawaii with those for the country as a whole reported that, as of 2003, Hawaii's premium for single coverage averaged thirteen per cent below the average premium charged across the nation as a whole, and family coverage averaged nearly fifteen per cent below the national average.  Predicted rates for 2006 indicate that Hawaii's rates will be twenty-one per cent below the national average for both single and family coverage; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has the lowest Medicare cost per capita in the nation, spending a mere $5,311 per Medicare enrollee compared to New York's high expenditure of $9,564 per enrollee; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has a robust network of federally qualified community health centers that provides quality health care to more than one hundred thousand uninsured persons; and

 

     WHEREAS, however, Hawaii hospitals have lost $150 million in the last year, primarily due to uncompensated care and low Medicare and Medicaid reimbursement rates that do not cover the costs of health care; and

 

     WHEREAS, hospitals and physicians have reported low reimbursements from insurers; and

 

     WHEREAS, private insurers are under severe pressure to compensate hospitals and physicians through reimbursements to cover costs shifted from government health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid; and

 

     WHEREAS, Hawaii has a shortage of beds in its long-term care facilities, resulting in a diminished quality of life for patients obliged to remain in an acute care hospital, a general unavailability of acute care beds in hospitals that may be needed by someone else with an acute illness or injury, and unnecessary stays in high cost acute care hospitals, the added cost of which is often absorbed by the acute care hospitals; and

 

     WHEREAS, changes in demographics, the delivery of health care services, low physician salaries, and the escalating costs of education have resulted in severe shortages of physicians, medical specialists, and other health care professionals, particularly in rural areas of the State; and

 

     WHEREAS, the costs of emergency and trauma care are escalating and fewer doctors are willing to serve on-call; and

 

     WHEREAS, natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina, illustrate the need for improving disaster preparedness, especially in health care; and

 

     WHEREAS, the complexity of health care reform is demonstrated by the impact that each part of the health care system has on other parts of the health care system; and

 

     WHEREAS, therefore, a strategic and comprehensive plan for health care in Hawaii is necessary to develop an effective solution for health care today and in the future; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2009, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Hawaii State Legislature is requested to convene a Hawaii Health Care Summit to develop a strategic and comprehensive plan for health care in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Health Care Summit should be a collaborative effort that includes all stakeholders, including representatives from all medical and health care communities, health insurance providers, community health centers, hospitals, emergency and trauma care providers, long‑term health care providers, Medicare, Medicaid, the John A. Burns School of Medicine, local business interests, and state agencies; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Health Care Summit should consist of twenty-six members as follows:

 

     (1)  Six members appointed by the Senate President;

 

     (2)  Six members appointed by the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

 

     (3)  Three members appointed by the Governor;

 

     (4)  The Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Health;

 

     (5)  The Chair of the House Standing Committee on Health;

 

     (6)  The Auditor, or the Auditor's designee;

 

     (7)  The Director of Health, or the Director's designee;

 

     (8)  The Director of Human Services, or the Director's designee;

 

     (9)  The Dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, or the Dean's designee;

 

    (10)  The Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Primary Care Association, or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;

 

    (11)  The Chief Executive Officer of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, or the Chief Executive Officer's designee;

 

    (12)  The Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, or the Chief Executive Officer's designee; and

 

    (13)  Two representatives of different health insurance providers offering coverage in Hawaii; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the Hawaii Health Care Summit should select the chairperson of the Summit and should be reimbursed for expenses, including travel expenses, necessary for the performance of their duties; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Health Care Summit's strategic and comprehensive plan is requested to include at a minimum:

 

     (1)  A plan for an improved emergency and trauma system;

 

     (2)  A plan for fair reimbursements from government and private payers to health care providers;

 

     (3)  A plan for strengthening the financial performance of hospitals and long-term care facilities;

 

     (4)  A workforce development plan for physicians, particularly addressing rural communities and medical specialties, that includes the establishment of a process for the comprehensive assessment and projection of workforce needs;

 

     (5)  A workforce development plan for other health care professionals; and

 

     (6)  A health information technology plan that is consistent with federal efforts to accelerate the use of electronic health records; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED the Hawaii Health Care Summit is requested to submit a report on its recommendations, including any implementing legislation, to the Legislature and the Auditor no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2010; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that after receipt of the Hawaii Health Care Summit's report, the Office of the Auditor is requested to:

 

     (1)  Prepare the Hawaii Health Care Summit plan, incorporating all or a portion of the recommendations reported by the Hawaii Health Care Summit;

 

     (2)  Seek input from all state departments and solicit public views and concerns in preparation of the plan;

 

     (3)  Submit the Hawaii Health Care Summit plan to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2011; and

 

     (4)  Update the plan every ten years and report to the Legislature; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Hawaii Health Care Summit shall cease to operate after the adjournment sine die of the 2010 Regular Session of the Legislature; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the Chair of the Senate Standing Committee on Health, the Chair of the House Standing Committee on Health, the Auditor, the Director of Health, the Director of Human Services, the Dean of the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, the Chief Executive Officer of the Hawaii Primary Care Association, and the Chief Executive Officer of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

Report Title: 

Hawaii Health Care Summit