STAND. COM. REP. NO.  233

 

Honolulu, Hawaii

                , 2021

 

RE:   H.B. No. 1284

      H.D. 1

 

 

 

 

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

 

Sir:

 

     Your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness, to which was referred H.B. No. 1284 entitled:

 

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES,"

 

begs leave to report as follows:

 

     The purpose of this measure is to:

 

     (1)  Reorganize the administrative structure of the Department of Human Services; and

 

     (2)  Require the Department of Human Services to submit a report to the Legislature prior to the Regular Session of 2022 proposing any additional legislation required to complete the reorganization.

 

     Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Department of Human Services.

 

     Your Committee finds that assessing the efficacy of programs and reorganizing is necessary to operate a large department such as the Department of Human Services and to also modernize its service delivery.  However, your Committee has heard the concerns raised by the Department of Human Services in its testimony before your Committee that this measure, as introduced, would have significant repercussions on the Department's ability to meet the needs of the nearly one-third of Hawaii residents who rely on one or more benefits and services delivered by the Department.

 

     Your Committee notes that the Department of Human Services has several ongoing reorganizations and has completed several reorganizations over the last decade.

 

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:

 

     (1)  Removing the substantive language of the measure and inserting language that:

 

          (A)  Requires health insurance providers who provide health benefits plans funded by the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund or the State Medicaid agency and providers providing Medicare Advantage health benefits to submit administrative data to the Health Analytics Program in the Department of Human Services; and

 

          (B)  Authorizes the Health Analytics Program to develop and update an annual plan for the analysis, maintenance, and publication of collected all-claims, all-payer data;

 

     (2)  Changing the effective date to July 1, 2060, to encourage further discussion; and

 

     (3)  Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.

 

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1284, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1284, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Judiciary & Hawaiian Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health, Human Services, & Homelessness,

 

 

 

 

____________________________

RYAN I. YAMANE, Chair