STAND. COM. REP. NO. 504
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2015
RE: H.B. No. 1239
H.D. 1
Honorable Joseph M. Souki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Twenty-Eighth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2015
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committees on Human Services and Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 1239 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH CARE,"
beg leave to report as follows:
(1) Requires the Department of Human Services to pay health insurance costs assessed against the following individuals who would otherwise be eligible for Medicaid except for citizenship status:
(A) Any Hawaii resident who is present in the State under the respective Compacts of Free Association (COFA) that the United States has with the Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of the Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau; and
(B) Any lawfully present legal permanent resident admitted to the United States for less than five years who is 19 years and older, provided that the resident is transferred to or enrolls in a health care plan through the Exchange;
(2) Requires the Department of Human Services to engage in community outreach to assist noncitizen residents who transfer to or enroll in Exchange health insurance plans; and
(3) Appropriates funds to the Department of Human Services for health insurance costs and community outreach efforts for qualified noncitizen residents.
Your Committees have amended this measure by:
(1) Adding an appropriation out of the Hospital Sustainability Program Special Fund for fiscal years 2015-2016 and 2016-2017 to be expended by the Department of Human Services for paying health insurance costs;
(2) Changing the amounts appropriated for paying health insurance costs and funding community outreach efforts to unspecified amounts;
(3) Changing the effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and
(4) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency and style.
Should the Committee on Finance deliberate this measure further, your Committees respectfully request that it consider:
(1) Appropriating $5,000,000 to pay for health insurance costs of COFA residents; and
(2) Appropriating $500,000 to provide for community outreach efforts.
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 are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1239, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1239, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Finance.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Health,
____________________________ DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair |
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____________________________ DEE MORIKAWA, Chair |
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