SB2500 CD1

Report Title:

Medicare Advocacy Project

 

Description:

Requires Department of Human Services to contract for legal services for Medicare advocacy project. (CD1)

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	2500
TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002		S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII		H.D. 1
		C.D. 1

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

Relating to Human services.

 

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

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that federal moneys can be a significant source of funding to support Hawaii's health and human services programs but, unfortunately, these federal funds have not been maximized for a variety of reasons.

Therefore, the purpose of this Act is to direct the department of human services to contract with a statewide nonprofit legal services provider that has offices on six primary islands and significant experience in Medicare advocacy, to implement a one-year pilot project to maximize collections and cost avoidance from the federal Medicare program.

SECTION 2. The department of human services shall contract for legal services to maximize collections from the federal Medicare program; provided that payment to the contractor shall be on a contingency fee basis where the contractor is paid one-third of the funds received by the department of human services from the Medicare program as a result of the contract.

SECTION 3. The department of human services shall make available to the contractor selected pursuant to this Act, all information required to adequately identify claims for dually eligible Medicare and Medicaid recipients.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2002.