THE SENATE

S.C.R. NO.

69

TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

 

URGING THE GOVERNOR TO Appoint a LONG-TERM CARE COORDINATOR.

 

 


     WHEREAS, Americans are living longer today than in the past, but are often hindered with multiple, chronic health conditions and greater rates of disability in old age; and between 2007 and 2030, the population in this State aged eighty-five and older, which has the greatest need for long-term care, is projected to increase by almost two-thirds; and

 

     WHEREAS, the aging of the population in Hawaii guarantees that there will be a greater need for long-term care in the future than there is currently; and

 

     WHEREAS, despite the fact that long-term care is not covered by Medicare or regular private health insurance, according to a recent 2011 survey of Association of American Retired Persons members in Hawaii, twenty-nine per cent of respondents said they expected Medicare to pay for their long-term care, if needed; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Long-Term Care Insurance Act, chapter 431:10H, Hawaii Revised Statutes, was enacted in 1999 "to promote the public interest, to promote the availability of long-term care insurance policies, to protect applicants for long-term care insurance, as defined, from unfair or deceptive sales or enrollment practices, to establish standards for long-term care insurance, to facilitate public understanding and comparison of long-term care insurance policies, and to facilitate flexibility and innovation in the development of long-term care insurance coverage"; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Health Insurance Branch of the Insurance Division enforces the provisions of the Long-Term Care Insurance Act and receives inquiries and complaints pertaining to long-term care; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Executive Office on Aging coordinates existing long-term care supports and services through Aging and Disability Resource Centers statewide, which are administered by Area Agencies on Aging in each county and supported by federal funds; and

 

     WHEREAS, Aging and Disability Resource Centers serve as single points of entry to long-term services and supports system for older adults, people with disabilities, family caregivers, and providers; and

 

     WHEREAS, the federal Older Americans Act amendments of 1978 required each State to establish a Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and the Legislature formally established the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman within the Executive Office on Aging in 2007; and

 

     WHEREAS, the Office of the Long-Term Care Ombudsman protects the health, safety, welfare, and rights of residents of long-term care facilities in accordance with state and federal law; and

 

     WHEREAS, the long-term care recipients in the State require supports and services from various state and county agencies that are mandated by state and federal laws, but these services and supports can be difficult to access; and

 

     WHEREAS, the designation of a long-term care coordinator, similar to the Governor's Early Childhood Transformation Coordinator, to coordinate programs affecting long-term care services and supports would significantly improve the quality of life for Hawaii's long-term care recipients, their caregivers, and their families; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Governor is urged to appoint a Long-term Care Coordinator to coordinate programs, supports, and services to improve the quality of life for Hawaii's long-term care recipients, their caregivers, and their families; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Long-term Care Coordinator shall:

 

     (1)  Recommend to the Governor strategies, including legislation, to improve the quality of life for Hawaii's long-term care recipients, their caregivers, and their families; reduce the costs of long-term care; and improve the organization and delivery of long-term care supports and services;

 

     (2)  Recommend, in consultation with the Insurance Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, strategies to increase awareness of long-term care insurance; and

 

     (3)  Promote interagency cooperation among state and county agencies responsible for long-term care supports and services, including the Executive Office on Aging, Department of Human Services, Department of Health, Insurance Division of the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, and Area Agencies on Aging within each county; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Long-Term Care Coordinator may coordinate and consult with existing and future boards, task forces, and councils whose purposes are to support programs that relate to long-term care supports and services; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Long-Term Care Coordinator may convene working groups comprised of but not limited to long-term care recipients, their families, caregivers, and support groups; federal, state, and county government staff; and interested stakeholders in the private sector to ensure that the recommendations developed achieve the goals of this Concurrent Resolution; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Director of the Executive Office on Aging, Director of Human Services, Director of Health, Insurance Commissioner, County Executive of the Kauai Agency on Elder Affairs, County Executive of the City


and County of Honolulu Elderly Affairs Division, County Executive of the Maui County Office on Aging, and Director of the Hawaii County Office of Aging.

 

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

 

 

Report Title: 

Long-Term Care Coordinator; Kupuna Caucus