STAND.
COM. REP. NO. 147
Honolulu, Hawaii
, 2023
RE: H.B. No. 1416
H.D. 1
Honorable Scott K. Saiki
Speaker, House of Representatives
Thirty-Second State Legislature
Regular Session of 2023
State of Hawaii
Sir:
Your Committee on Human Services, to which was referred H.B. No. 1416 entitled:
"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO MEDICAID,"
begs leave to report as follows:
The
purpose of this measure is to require
the Department of Human Services to adopt rules to remove the
$2,000-per-individual asset limit for eligibility for assistance under the Department's
Med-QUEST program.
Your Committee finds that the
$2,000-per-individual asset limit for eligibility for assistance under the Med-QUEST
program works to hold back struggling residents and families by discouraging
them from increasing their savings; forcing them to sacrifice long-term
economic security and mobility; and preventing them from building a financial
safety net for themselves when they fall on hard times. Your Committee further finds that although
asset limits were initially implemented to ensure Medicaid's availability to
those truly in need of assistance, federal requirements for asset limits were
removed when Medicaid was expanded under the federal Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act. This measure is
intended to ensure the State's Med-QUEST population can establish a financial
safety net without fear of losing access to their health care.
The Department of Human Services
testified before your Committee that the federal rules regarding the Medicaid
program's asset test limits require federal approval to modify the Med-QUEST
asset test limit before implementation.
Your Committee notes the Department's concerns that this measure, as
drafted, does not allow the Department sufficient time to gain the necessary
approval from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Failure to gain this approval prior to
implementation would also require state general funds to cover the additional
costs of individuals for whom no asset test was applied.
Therefore,
your Committee has amended this measure by:
(1) Specifying that the required adoption of rules
by the Department of Human Services proposed by this measure is contingent on
the approval of the Hawaii State Plan amendment by the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services;
(2) Changing the effective date to June 30, 3000,
to encourage further discussion; and
(3) Making technical, nonsubstantive amendments
for the purposes of clarity, consistency, and style.
As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Human Services that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of H.B. No. 1416, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as H.B. No. 1416, H.D. 1, and be referred to your Committee on Consumer Protection & Commerce.
Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Human Services,
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____________________________ JOHN M. MIZUNO, Chair |
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