STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1426

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2021

RE: S.B. No. 819

S.D. 2

H.D. 2

Honorable Scott K. Saiki

Speaker, House of Representatives

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2021

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce, to which was referred S.B. No. 819, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE HOSPITAL SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to preserve access to health care for Medicaid recipients by extending the Hospital Sustainability Program.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Department of Human Services, Healthcare Association of Hawaii, Hawai‘i Pacific Health, Hawaii Primary Care Association, The Queen's Health Systems, and Kaiser Permanente Hawai‘i.

Your Committee finds that the Hospital Sustainability Program, which was established in 2012, has served a critical role in strengthening the health care system in Hawaii. In the nine years since its inception, the Hospital Sustainability Program has helped acute care facilities treat the most vulnerable patients in the State, especially Medicaid recipients who require hospital services. Your Committee believes that continuing the Hospital Sustainability Program will ensure that the State's uninsured or underinsured patients continue to receive care in a timely, effective manner.

Your Committee has amended this measure by changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount.

Should your Committee on Finance deliberate on this measure, your Committee respectfully requests that it consider $325,000,000 as an appropriation amount out of the Hospital Sustainability Program Special Fund.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 819, S.D. 2, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it be referred to your Committee on Finance in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 819, S.D. 2, H.D. 2.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce,

____________________________

AARON LING JOHANSON, Chair