SB2021

Report Title:

Children's Health Insurance Program; Enrollment Finder's Fee

 

Description:

Awards $80 for each new enrollment of an eligible child in the children's health insurance program to parent-teachers associations, hospitals, and nonprofit organizations. Appropriates matching funds to DHS. Appropriates funds for training.

 

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2021
TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002
STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to enrollment in the children's health insurance program.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the federal children's health insurance program provides Hawaii with an important opportunity to expand health care coverage to low- income children who are uninsured. The children's health insurance program is considered the largest expansion of health care coverage since the enactment of Medicare and Medicaid. In order to expand enrollment in the state children's health insurance program, the legislature finds that the use of incentive payments in the form of a finder's fee to parent-teacher associations, hospitals, and other nonprofit organizations is both necessary and justified. For example, the New Jersey legislature passed a special appropriation that pays a school $25 for every family they help enroll in the New Jersey Family Care program. Illinois pays $50 for every approved application, which can enroll one or more children. California pays $50 for each enrolled child. These programs also require application assistants to be specially trained. Eligible children can be enrolled upon first entering school or when applying for subsidized school lunches or participation in the Women, Infants, and Children program. Hospitals have an opportunity to enroll eligible children at the time of birth.

SECTION 2. Children's health insurance program; enrollment finder's fee. The department of human services shall award a finder's fee of $80 for identifying each eligible child who is ultimately enrolled in the State children's health insurance program to:

(1) Any parent-teacher association;

(2) Any hospital; and

(3) Any other nonprofit organization.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2002-2003, on a      -to-one federal matching basis, to fund the finder's fee awards pursuant to section 2; provided that recipients of finder's fees must be trained by the department of human services for this purpose of assisting in the application for enrollment in the state children's health insurance program. The funds appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2002-2003, to fund the training of persons who assist in applications for enrollment in the state children's health insurance program. The funds appropriated shall be expended by the department of human services.

SECTION 5. This Act shall take effect upon its approval and is repealed on June 30, 2003.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________