HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

53

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

REQUESTING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES TO FULLY IMPLEMENT THE SECTION 1115 WAIVER GRANTED TO HAWAII IN 1994 TO RAISE THE MEDICAID ELIGIBILITY to UP TO THREE HUNDRED PERCENT OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY LEVEL.

 

 

 


     WHEREAS, in 1994, Hawaii implemented a statewide Section 1115 Medicaid waiver program called QUEST to expand eligibility to pregnant women, children, and nondisabled adults, to up to 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1996, the program made several significant changes that restricted enrollment in QUEST and implemented an enrollment cap of 125,000 individuals and reinstated the Medicaid resource test in a new safety net program called QUEST-Net that would serve those who became ineligible for QUEST due to the asset limit; and

 

     WHEREAS, in addition, the State requested QUEST enrollees with incomes above 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (except for pregnant women and children) and QUEST-Net enrollees to pay the full premium for the program; and

 

     WHEREAS, in 1998, the State lowered the eligibility level for QUEST to up to 100 percent of the Federal Poverty Level (except for pregnant women and children), and expanded QUEST-Net to include all individuals who became ineligible for QUEST; and

 

     WHEREAS, although QUEST-Net covered some adults up to 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, it was not very large as the number of adults in QUEST-Net Adult was approximately 220, and as of February 1, 2008, the Federal Poverty Level for QUEST-Net Adult was changed from up to 300 percent to up to 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Level; and


     WHEREAS, during this time when Hawaii was scaling back eligibility levels, other states were exploring ways to provide health insurance to uninsured individuals whose incomes were too high to qualify them for public programs and who did not have access to or could not afford private insurance; and

 

     WHEREAS, for example, New York created the nation's highest ceiling for the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) by raising the eligibility requirement from up to 250 percent of the Federal Poverty Level to up to 400 percent of the Federal Poverty Level, and New Jersey also raised its SCHIP eligibility to up to 350 percent of the Federal Poverty Level; and

 

     WHEREAS, in Hawaii, it is believed that families earning over 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level are more likely to have access to employer-sponsored health insurance, and since it is not the intent of QUEST to replace employer-sponsored health coverage for dependents, an up to 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level is reasonable; and

 

     WHEREAS, inflation in health care costs has risen faster than incomes, thereby putting children in families suffering from economic hardship at risk of not receiving medical care; and

 

     WHEREAS, it is timely for Hawaii to plan, execute, and maintain health insurance expansion, as well as improve the availability and affordability of health care coverage; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Human Services is requested to fully implement the Section 1115 Waiver granted to Hawaii in 1994 to expand Medicaid eligibility to up to 300 percent of the Federal Poverty Level; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Human Services is requested to submit a report to the Legislature no later than 20 days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2013, on the progress of fully implementing the Section 1115 Waiver; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of Human Services, Director of Finance, and Executive Director of the Hawaii Health Authority.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Medicaid Section 1115 Waiver