LEGISLATURE 2003 STATUS REPORT
Health

Here are many of the major bills under consideration at the Legislature. Listing which bills are passing and which are failing halfway through the legislative session is risky.

Failing bills can be revived, living bills can be rewritten, and key lawmakers can change their minds.

This listing of bills is an effort to show readers where issues appear to be headed. Public participation and lobbying can change the outcome of any issue listed here.

Long-term-care tax credit
(HB 90 HD1 )

Provide long-term-care insurance policyholders a tax credit equal to 50 percent of their long-term-care insurance premiums or $2,500, whichever is less.

Long-term-care income tax
(SB 1088 SD2, HB 1616 HD1)

Would set a $10 monthly income tax increase to finance a state-run long-term-care program that would provide the elderly and disabled up to $70 a day for a year to pay for long-term care services.

Emergency contraceptives
(HB 189 HD2, SB 658 SD1)

Would require hospitals that provide emergency care to sex assault victims to inform them about emergency contraception and provide it if requested. The Senate version of the bill exempts religious hospitals from the requirement.

Pharmacy contraceptives
(SB 958 SD1, HB 123 HD1)

Allows pharmacists to dispense emergency contraceptives.

Unannounced care home inspections
(SB 1061 SD1, HB 914 HD2)

Senate bill requires the state Department of Health to conduct annual surprise inspections on adult residential care homes.

House bill allows the DOH to conduct unannounced inspections of care homes and community care foster family homes. Currently care home operators are allowed to know the month and day of the week of an inspection.

Nursing loans
(SB748 SD 2)

Establishes a nursing education loan program to provide loans for eligible nursing students in an unspecified amount per student per academic year.

Smoking ban
(HB 248 HD1)

Prohibits public employees from smoking tobacco in all public schools, school transportation, and all school-sponsored functions. Allows smoking during school functions so long as it is in an enclosed room not on school property and not around a student.

Community hospitals
(HB 512 HD1)

Abolishes the Hawai'i Health Systems Corporation and returns all community hospitals to the Department of Health under a newly established Division of Community Hospitals.

Chiropractors
(HB 1510 HD1, SB 1582 SD1)

Limits workers' compensation reimbursement for chiropractic treatment to treatment of the spinal column and allows use of titles "doctor of chiropractic" and "chiropractic physician." House bill expands the scope of chiropractic practice, while the Senate bill does not.

Universal healthcare

Create a state authority to roll public and private health insurance coverages into a state-run insurance fund.

Nurse overtime

Prohibits nurses from being required to work overtime.

Long-term-care tax credit

Administration bill would provide long-term-care insurance policyholders a tax credit of up to 30 percent of insurance premiums. The Senate passed SB 1399, but the House rejected its version of the bill.

Tobacco settlement money

Would have increased the portion of tobacco settlement monies going to the Hawai'i tobacco prevention and control trust fund and decrease the portion allocated to the emergency and budget reserve fund.