Non‑Discrimination Policy
2016 Legislative Update
Posted January 20, 2016
The 2016 Legislative Session will open next week on Wednesday, January 20. Hale Makua Health Services, as a member of the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH), will be doing all we can to support the efforts of HAH's legislative team as it will help shape the healthcare industry and allow us to improve the well-being of those in our care.
The Healthcare Association of Hawai`i's mission is "to be Hawaii’s most effective advocate for a comprehensive and financially strong healthcare system that successfully responds to the diverse and changing health needs of all we serve." HAH has been proactive in meeting with legislators prior to the start of the session to share their priorities for this year, which represents the consensus view of HAH membership.
Our own CEO, Tony Krieg, has also been spending time at the State Capitol meeting with legislators to provide education on important issues that have negatively impacted our organization, and community, and will continue to do so if changes are not made. Of most importance is the issue regarding the inflation factor. HAH provides an explanation in their latest newsletter, stating:
"Medicaid Fee Schedule Rate Increase and Annual Inflation Adjustment. Amends the Medicaid fee schedule law to require an adjustment for inflation for long-term care (LTC) services. The providers have gone without an inflationary increase to their per diem rates since 2009, despite rising costs and greater administrative burdens to administer high-quality care to their patients. With roughly 70 percent of LTC patients covered by Medicaid, these operational losses are not sustainable and facilities may eventually be forced to close at a time when Hawaii’s population continues to gray."
Being without this rate increase since 2009 has had a significant impact on us and at times temporarily distracts from the focus of our organization’s mission. It also widens the gap between costs and reimbursement.
We will continue to support our advocates in addition to having a presence at the legislature this year to ensure that improvements are made and quality healthcare is available to everyone in our care and in our communities.