Bill Text: HI HB1713 | 2014 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Aging; Long-term Care Education; Appropriations; Majority Package ($)
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 41-0)
Status: (Enrolled - Dead) 2014-04-25 - Conference Committee Meeting will reconvene on Friday, 04-25-14 at 3:00PM in Conference Room 229. [HB1713 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2014-HB1713-Amended.html
|
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
H.B. NO. |
1713 |
|
TWENTY-SEVENTH LEGISLATURE, 2014 |
S.D. 2 |
|
|
STATE OF HAWAII |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
|
|
||
A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO AGING.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
PART I
SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the federal Older Americans Act was established in 1965 in response to policymakers' concerns about a lack of community social services for aging individuals. Elders who are medicaid eligible are not prohibited from receiving services under the Older Americans Act, but the State may not require programs under the Older Americans Act to fund benefits that can be funded by medicaid.
Hawaii's kupuna care program was established in 1999 with a mission to help frail and vulnerable older persons lead independent, meaningful and dignified lives in their own homes and communities. The executive office on aging is responsible for coordinating and administering both federal Older Americans Act and state kupuna care funds. The executive office on aging has issued kupuna care guidelines which include eligibility criteria as follows:
(1) United States citizen or qualified alien;
(2) Sixty years of age or older;
(3) Not covered by any comparable government or private home and community based care services;
(4) Not residing in an institution, such as an intermediate care facility, skilled nursing facility, hospital, foster family, or adult residential care home; and
(5) Having impairment of at least two activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, or substantive cognitive impairment; and an unmet need of at least one or more activities of daily living, or one or more instrumental activities of daily living.
The target population for Older Americans Act and kupuna care services is older adults who are low-income, minorities, non-English speaking, frail, or live in isolated or rural communities. Both funding sources are meant to address social issues. Medicaid, on the other hand, is meant to address medical issues.
The executive office on aging and MedQuest division of the department of human services continue to work on integrating home and community based services to ensure that there is no gap in services for any elder individual. However, until full service integration occurs, there remains a gap in services for medicaid eligible individuals for whom services comparable to kupuna care and Older Americans Act services are inaccessible because they are not offered under medicaid. The legislature finds that aging individuals who qualify for medicaid are eligible for kupuna care and Older Americans Act services when there are no comparable medicaid services available.
The legislature further finds that the aging population in Hawaii, similar to the rest of the United States, is rapidly increasing as more and more residents born during the baby-boom era of 1946-1964 turn sixty years of age. Between 1980 and 2010, the number of adults in Hawaii over the age of sixty grew by 139.8 per cent, eclipsing the growth of the general population, which increased by 34.2 per cent during the same period. The increase in the number of adults in Hawaii over the age of eighty-five during this period is even more extreme at 431.5 per cent. In addition, it is projected that Hawaii's adult population over the age of sixty will comprise 29.7 per cent of the total population by 2035.
The significant increase in Hawaii's elderly population and the concomitant increase in demand for services, particularly those that allow for aging in place, will require an ongoing commitment to ensure that Hawaii's kupuna are adequately cared for.
The most successful programs for aging-in-place recognize and build upon integrated health and social services. Accordingly, the purpose of this part is to provide funding to support community-based programs that incorporate collaborations between health care and social service agencies to provide services necessary for the health and well-being of Hawaii's kupuna.
SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $4,200,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the kupuna care program; provided that the funds appropriated may be used to provide long-term care services to aging individuals who are medicaid eligible but who require services for which there are no comparable medicaid services available; provided further that the sum appropriated shall be in addition to the base budget of the executive office on aging.
SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $1,900,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the aging and disability resource center.
SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $476,772 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the healthy aging partnership program of the department of health's executive office on aging.
SECTION 5. The sums appropriated by this part shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this part.
PART II
SECTION 6. The legislature finds that more of Hawaii's elderly population is living with multiple, chronic health conditions. This, combined with the fact that this population is growing at a steady rate, indicates an increased need for long-term care in the State.
The legislature further finds that many people in Hawaii are not familiar with long-term care issues and common information may, in fact, be incorrect. For example, although long-term care is not covered by medicare or regular private health insurance, a 2011 survey of Hawaii members of the American Association of Retired Persons found that twenty-nine per cent of respondents said they expected medicare to pay for their long-term care, if needed.
Hawaii residents require basic information about long-term care, including the different types of long-term care and long-term care providers, the statistical risk of requiring long-term care, and the associated costs, to be motivated to provide for their own or family members' long-term care needs. The legislature finds that a long-term care education and awareness campaign will help provide this information to better prepare Hawaii residents in planning for future long-term care needs.
Accordingly, the purpose of this part is to require the executive office on aging to conduct a public education and awareness campaign on long-term care and to appropriate funds to administer and evaluate the program.
SECTION 7. (a) The department of health's executive office on aging shall conduct a public education and awareness campaign on long-term care. Campaign goals shall include:
(1) Informing the public of the likelihood of needing long-term care;
(2) Educating the public on maximizing the length of time independent living is possible and the risks presented by a lack of planning for long-term care needs;
(3) Educating the public about the costs of long-term care, including:
(A) The fact that long-term care is not covered by medicare or regular private health insurance;
(B) The limits of medicaid eligibility and benefits; and
(C) The value and availability of current financing and delivery options to obtain long-term care; and
(4) Providing the public with resources to navigate the complexities of planning for long-term care and informing the public of the agencies that provide such services.
(b) The executive office on aging may develop public-private partnerships to fund and administer the campaign and may invite broad participation from multiple interested stakeholders in the State.
(c) The director of the executive office on aging shall obtain an independent evaluation of the effectiveness of the campaign.
(d) The director of the executive office on aging shall submit a report on the public education and awareness campaign, including the independent evaluation's findings and recommendations on the status of the campaign, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2017.
SECTION 8. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $500,000 or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2014-2015 for the executive office on aging to conduct a public education and awareness campaign on long-term care and to obtain an independent evaluation of the campaign's effectiveness.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this part.
PART III
SECTION 9. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2014.
Report Title:
Aging; Long-term Care Education; Appropriations; Majority Package
Description:
Appropriates general funds to provide ongoing financial support to healthy aging programs and services. Requires the Executive Office on Aging to conduct a public education and awareness campaign on long-term care and appropriates general funds for its support and evaluation. (SD2)
The summary description of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
