STAND. COM. REP. NO.  120

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2015

 

RE:   H.B. No. 580

      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 Health and Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 580 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE LICENSURE OF DURABLE MEDICAL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIERS,"

 

beg leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to ensure that patients in the State have improved access to critical, life-sustaining medical supplies by:

 

(1)  Establishing the Durable Medical Equipment Supplier Licensing and Patient Protection Program (Program) in the Office of Health Care Assurance that administers licensure and operational requirements for durable medical equipment suppliers participating in the nationwide competitive bidding program; and

 

(2)  Appropriating funds for expenses incurred by the Office of Health Care Assurance to establish and administer the Program.

 

     The Hawaii Health Systems Corporation, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, and Hawaii COPD Coalition supported this measure.  The Department of the Attorney General and Department of Health commented on this measure.

 

Your Committees note the concerns raised by the Department of Health in the public hearing on this measure that successful implementation of the Program requires further consideration of funding, staffing, administrative rulemaking, and regulatory fairness.  Your Committees respectfully request the Committee on Consumer Protection and Commerce and the Committee on Finance to consider the concerns reflected in the Department of Health's written testimony, should those Committees deliberate this measure further.

 

Your Committees have amended this measure by:

 

(1)  Changing its effective date to July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion; and

 

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

 

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Health and Human Services that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 580, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 580, H.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.

 

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

 

 

____________________________

DEE MORIKAWA, Chair

 

____________________________

DELLA AU BELATTI, Chair