STAND. COM. REP. NO.  317

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2013

 

RE:   H.B. No. 152

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Joseph M. Souki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2013

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Labor & Public Employment, to which was referred H.B. No. 152 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO WORKERS' COMPENSATION MEDICAL FEE SCHEDULES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to help align the workers' compensation medical fee schedule with the current cost of health care by increasing the cap on allowable medical fees from 110 percent to 130 percent of the fees prescribed in the Medicare Resource Based Relative Value Scale beginning January 1, 2014.

 

     The Hawaii State AFL-CIO; International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 142; Kaiser Permanente Hawaii; Hawaii Medical Association; Work Injury Medical Association of Hawaii; CHART Rehabilitation; Hawaii Injured Worker Association; Hawaii Chapter, American Physical Therapy Association; and several individuals supported this measure.  The Department of Human Resources of the City and County of Honolulu; Hawaiian Electric Company, Inc.; Maui Electric Company, LTD.; Hawaii Electric Light Company, Inc.; The Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii; Hawaii Insurers Council; and Property Casualty Insurers Association of America opposed this measure.  The Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Department of Human Resources Development, and Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs provided comments.


     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Changing its effective date to January 1, 2113, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (2)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for clarity and consistency.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Labor & Public Employment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 152, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 152, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Labor & Public Employment,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

MARK M. NAKASHIMA, Chair