Hawaii-2012-HR127-Introduced

WHEREAS, the Hawaii Long-Term Care Commission supports in principle the establishment of a modest, public, long-term care insurance program, but recommends that studies be undertaken to assure the feasibility of such an insurance program; and

WHEREAS, the public insurance program envisioned would be generally similar to the Care Plus proposal under S.B. No. 1088 and H.B. No. 1616, Regular Session of 2003; and

WHEREAS, a specific proposal for a public insurance option needs to be developed from a broader and more in-depth examination of a number of issues to ensure the proposal has the needed political support and will be financially viable; and

WHEREAS, a task force made up of persons who support the principle of a modest, public, long-term care insurance program as a partial solution for financing long-term care, including legislators and community advocates, would be in the best position to study the feasibility of establishing a modest, public, long-term care insurance program; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2012, that the Director of the Executive Office on Aging is requested to establish a long-term care financing task force to study the feasibility of establishing a modest, public, long-term care insurance program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force, with the Director of the Executive Office on Aging serving as Chair, include:

(1) Six individuals from the long-term care community and insurance industry, three to be selected by the Senate President and three to be selected by the Speaker of the House;

(2) One member of the Senate selected by the Senate President; and

(3) One member of the House of Representatives selected by the Speaker of the House; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to address and report on the following issues as part of its assessment:

(1) The minimum and maximum age for employed persons to be eligible to enroll in the long-term care insurance program;

(2) The definition of "employment" for the purposes of determining eligibility;

(3) The minimum period of time during which an individual must pay premiums before becoming eligible for benefits;

(4) The method of collecting the premium;

(5) The length of covered benefit;

(6) The amount of cash benefit, whether it should vary by disability, inflation adjustment over time, and whether there should be restrictions on its use;

(7) The premium required to adequately finance various program designs;

(8) Whether premiums should be level or increase with inflation over time;

(9) Whether low-income people should be exempt from participating or whether there should be a premium subsidy from general revenues;

(10) How the program should be administered; and

(11) Which executive department should administer this program; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that members of the task force shall not receive compensation for their service but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses, including travel expenses, incurred in the performance of their duties; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force is requested to submit a report on its findings and recommendations, including any proposed legislation, if any, to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2013; provided that the report includes a recommended proposal that is politically viable and financially feasible; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the task force be dissolved on June 30, 2013; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Director of the Executive Office on Aging, the Director of Health, the Director of Human Services, the Insurance Commissioner, the Policy Advisory Board for Elder Affairs, and the Hawaii Long-Term Care Commission.

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Modest, Public, Long-term Care Insurance; EOA; Task Force

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.R. NO.	127
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2012
STATE OF HAWAII