CONFERENCE
COMMITTEE REP. NO. 115
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2019
RE: S.B. No. 242
S.D. 2
H.D. 2
C.D. 1
Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi
President of the Senate
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2019
State of Hawaii
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirtieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 2019
State of Hawaii
Sirs:
Your Committee on Conference on the disagreeing vote of the Senate to the amendments proposed by the House of Representatives in S.B. No. 242, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"
having met, and after full and free discussion, has agreed to recommend and does recommend to the respective Houses the final passage of this bill in an amended form.
Your Committee on Conference finds that navigation, access, and coverage of Medicaid
services under the State's present system of care can be complicated to
navigate. This measure establishes a
task force within the Behavioral Health Services Administration of the
Department of Health to study issues relating to the accessibility and
utilization of essential services. Your
Committee on Conference notes that the accessibility and utilization of
essential services can be particularly challenging for persons
with autism or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and it is important for Hawaii to make an effort to
minimize these burdens. Amendments to this measure
are therefore necessary to clarify the scope of the task force and make other
amendments needed to ensure that Medicaid home and community-based services and
other Medicaid services are more accessible to persons with autism or fetal
alcohol spectrum disorder.
Your Committee on Conference has amended this measure by:
(1) Inserting a purpose section and naming this measure "Ann and Kelii's Law";
(2) Amending certain requirements for the task force, including:
(A) Clarifying that the task force is to be established jointly within the Behavioral Health Services Administration of the Department of Health and the Med-QUEST Division of the Department of Human Services;
(B) Clarifying that the purpose of the task force is to review policy issues and opportunities relating to the navigation, access, and coverage of Medicaid services by persons with autism or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder;
(C) Updating the composition of the task force;
(D) Clarifying the contents of the study to be submitted to the Legislature;
(E) Requiring the task force to analyze and make a recommendation on whether a waiver, a waiver amendment, or any other necessary policy approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services may be necessary to ensure certain services are accessible to persons with autism or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder; and
(F) Specifying reimbursement, convening, and dissolution requirements for the task force;
(3) Requiring the Department of Human Services to seek a waiver, waiver amendment, or other necessary policy approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, if recommended by the task force;
(4) Specifying that the provision of home and community-based services and other Medicaid services for individuals diagnosed with autism or fetal alcohol spectrum disorder as required by this measure applies to all plans issued under Medicaid managed care and fee-for-service programs in the State only upon approval of any policy change by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services;
(5) Requiring the Legislature to appropriate any necessary state dollars sufficient to cover the state portion of increased Medicaid expenditures arising from any approved waiver, waiver amendment, or other necessary policy approval and specifying an appropriation is required prior to implementation of any approved waiver, waiver amendment, or policy change;
(6) Inserting a savings clause and a severability clause;
(7) Changing its effective date to July 1, 2019; and
(8) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the managers of your Committee on Conference that is attached to this report, your Committee on Conference is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 242, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Final Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 242, S.D. 2, H.D. 2, C.D. 1.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the managers:
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ON THE PART OF THE HOUSE |
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ON THE PART OF THE SENATE |
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____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO Co-Chair |
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____________________________ RUSSELL E. RUDERMAN Chair |
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____________________________ ROY M. TAKUMI Co-Chair |
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____________________________ ROSALYN H. BAKER Co-Chair |
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____________________________ BERTRAND KOBAYASHI Co-Chair |
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____________________________ GIL RIVIERE Co-Chair |
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