STAND. COM. REP. NO. 3308

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: H.B. No. 2058

H.D. 1

S.D. 1

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2022

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Health, to which was referred H.B. No. 2058, H.D. 1, entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE WAIANAE COAST COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CENTER EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose and intent of this measure is to appropriate funds as a grant to the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center for the operation of its twenty-four-hour emergency department.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and Hawai‘i Primary Care Association. Your Committee received comments on this measure from the Department of Health and Department of Budget and Finance.

Your Committee finds that the Waianae Coast Comprehensive

Health Center (Center) is a nonprofit medical facility serving the Waianae coast of Oahu. The Center provides twenty-four-hour emergency department services for the Waianae coast and the majority of the Center's patients are at one hundred percent of the federal poverty level and receive coverage under the State's Medicaid program or Medicare. As a result, the Center operates at a financial loss and requires state subsidies to maintain a twenty-four-hour year-round emergency department. This measure provides monies to the Center to continue its twenty-four-hour emergency department operations.

Your Committee acknowledges the concerns of the Department of Health and Hawai‘i Primary Care Association, noting that the Center likely has not met the necessary requirements, pursuant to chapter 42F, Hawaii Revised Statutes, for receiving a grant-in-aid.

Therefore, your Committee has amended this measure by:

(1) Removing the appropriation for a grant-in-aid to the Waianae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and replacing it with an appropriation to the Department of Health to procure the services for the public purpose of operating a twenty-four-hour emergency department from the center;

(2) Inserting an effective date of July 1, 2050, to encourage further discussion;

(3) Amending section 1 to reflect its amended purpose; and

(4) Making a technical, nonsubstantive amendment for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 2058, H.D. 1, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 2058, H.D. 1, S.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

________________________________

JARRETT KEOHOKALOLE, Chair