STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1410

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                  

 

RE:    S.R. No. 116

       S.D. 1

 

 

 

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

 

Madam:

 

     Your Committees on Human Services and Health, to which was referred S.R. No. 116 entitled:

 

"SENATE RESOLUTION REQUESTING THE LONG TERM CARE COMMISSION TO CONDUCT A STUDY OF INCREASING MEDICAID REIMBURSEMENTS TO HOSPITALS FOR PATIENTS WHO ARE WAITLISTED FOR LONG TERM CARE AND TO LONG TERM CARE FACILITIES TO ACCEPT WAITLISTED PATIENTS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to request the Long Term Care Commission to conduct a study of increasing Medicaid reimbursements to hospitals for patients who are waitlisted for long-term care and to long-term care facilities to accept waitlisted patients.

 

     Testimony in support of this measure was submitted by the Long Term Care Commission, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and the Hawaii Disability Rights Center.  Written testimony presented to your Committees may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

 

     Your Committees find that on any given day there is an average of 200 patients in hospitals who have been treated, and are well enough to be transferred to long-term care, but are waitlisted because long-term care is not available.  Patients may be waitlisted for several days, or even a year, and this creates a serious financial drain on hospitals.  The average number of long‑term beds available in the nation is 47 per 1000 people over the age of 65, however, Hawaii averages only 23 per 1000 people.  The shortage of long-term care beds in Hawaii is due to the high costs of construction and operation mismatched with low payments for services.  A study on increasing Medicaid reimbursements will provide insight into the steps that need to be taken to alleviate this problem.

 

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive changes for the purpose of consistency and style.

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees concur with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 116, as amended herein, and recommend its adoption in the form attached hereto as S.R. No. 116, S.D. 1.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Health,

 

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair

 

____________________________

SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair