STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1501

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2019

RE: S.B. No. 417

S.D. 2

H.D. 1

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirtieth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2019

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 417, S.D. 2, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH,"

beg leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure, as received by your Committees, is to:

(1) Require health insurers, health maintenance organizations, and hospital or medical service plans to provide coverage for ambulance services and statewide community paramedicine services rendered by emergency medical technicians or paramedics;

(2) Require the State's Medicaid program to provide coverage for ambulance services and authorize the program to provide coverage for statewide community paramedicine services rendered by emergency medical technicians or paramedics; and

(3) Appropriate funds for each year of Fiscal Biennium 2019-2021 for Medicaid coverage of ambulance services.

American Medical Response, The Queen's Health Systems, and an individual testified in support of this measure. An individual opposed this measure. The Department of Health, Department of Human Services, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Department of the Attorney General, Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund, Honolulu Emergency Services Department of the City and County of Honolulu, Hawaii Medical Service Association, and Kaiser Permanente Hawaii provided comments on this measure.

Upon consideration, your Committees have amended this measure by deleting its contents and inserting the contents of H.B. No. 1453, H.D. 1, which was passed by the House on March 1, 2019. As amended, this measure authorizes the Department of Health to:

(1) Establish reasonable fees to be collected from individuals who are:

(A) Transported by emergency ambulance services to a medical facility; or

(B) Provided emergency medical services by emergency medical services personnel but are not subsequently transported to a medical facility; and

(2) Permit and regulate transport by ambulance to medical facilities other than hospital emergency departments.

As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Health that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 417, S.D. 2, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 417, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Finance.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Labor & Public Employment and Health,

____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair

____________________________ AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair