Bill Text: HI SB2134 | 2012 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: QUEST; Medicaid; Appropriation; Program Evaluation
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2012-02-02 - (S) The committee on HMS deferred the measure. [SB2134 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2012-SB2134-Introduced.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2134 |
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TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
relating to healthcare.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that QUEST Expanded Access (QExA) is a medicaid managed care program that replaced a fee-for-service program three years ago to provide health care to low income persons who are aged, blind, or disabled. These persons typically have multiple medical conditions and require care from different health care providers. The annual budget for QExA is approximately $500,000,000.
The stated goals of QExA include a reduction in fragmented health care and the assurance of coordination across the health care continuum. In addition, the program is designed to be fiscally predictable, stable, and sustainable in order to assure access to high quality and cost-effective care.
However, despite these high ideals, enrollees, advocates, and health care providers express serious concerns that QExA has failed to meet its stated goals and that many enrollees are not receiving adequate care. For example, QExA is criticized for not compensating providers for care that should have been covered, and for not compensating providers in a timely manner. Due to the uncertainty of receiving payment, some providers have begun to decline to take QExA enrollees as new patients. With fewer providers available to enrollees, access to care is reduced, the enrollee’s medical condition may deteriorate, requiring more intensive treatment, and therefore increases the overall cost of care. The QExA program should be evaluated to determine the validity of these claims, to correct existing problems.
The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to the executive office on aging to conduct a program evaluation of QExA.
SECTION 2. The executive office on aging shall conduct a program evaluation of the QUEST Expanded Access program to determine whether its goals are being achieved. If any of the goals of the program are not being achieved, the program evaluation shall contain recommendations for achieving them. The director of the executive office on aging shall report the findings and recommendations of the program evaluation to the legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the regular session of 2013.
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $200,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2012-2013 to conduct a program evaluation of the QUEST Expanded Access program.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2012.
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INTRODUCED BY: |
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Report Title:
QUEST; Medicaid; Appropriation; Program Evaluation
Description:
Makes an appropriation to the executive office on aging to conduct a program evaluation of QUEST Expanded Access program.
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
