STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1510

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    H.B. No. 1396

       H.D. 2

       S.D. 2

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Twenty-Ninth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2017

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred H.B. No. 1396, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COMMUNITY CARE FOSTER FAMILY HOMES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to authorize the Department of Health to permit any community care foster family home to provide care for up to two private-pay adults, provided certain requirements are met.

     The Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, and one individual submitted written comments in support of this measure.

     Two individuals submitted written comments in opposition to this measure.

     Your Committee finds that there is an ever-increasing need for community care foster family homes, which exclusively serve adults who are at a nursing facility level of care and which provide living accommodations, supervision, personal care, and assistance with daily living activities in a family-like setting.

     Your Committee recognizes that under current law, as long as certain requirements are met, a community care foster family home may be certified to provide accommodations and services for to up to three adults at any one time.  However, at least two of those three adults are required to be Medicaid recipients.  Your Committee finds that as the cost of medical care continues to rise, even those adults who are at a nursing facility level of care, but do not rely on Medicaid for their long-term care, cannot afford the cost of private care and thus are left with limited options.  Your Committee therefore believes that it would be appropriate to grant the Department of Health the flexibility to authorize, subject to certain conditions, any community care foster family home to provide care and services to two private-pay adults who are at a nursing facility level of care, provided that the home also provides care and services to a third adult who is a Medicaid recipient.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by amending the definition of "community care foster family home" to provide that the Department of Health, in consultation with the Department of Human Services, and in its discretion after considering certain enumerated relevant factors, may allow two private-pay adults to be cared for in the same community care foster family home.  

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1396, H.D. 2, S.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1396, H.D. 2, S.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

________________________________

JILL N. TOKUDA, Chair