Appropriates funds in each year of the 2009-2011 fiscal biennium to increase the payments for physician services provided by QUEST and Medicare fee-for-service providers up to 100 per cent of the current Medicare rate. Our testimony relates to funding

House Committee on Human Services (HUS) - chair: Mizuno, vice chair: Brower House Committee on Health (HLT) - chair: Yamane, vice chair: Nishimoto

Thursday, February 12, 2009, 10:00 A.M. Conference Room 329

Testifier: Joy A. Marshall, RN, LWV of Hawaii, Health Committee Chair

Click here to view HB1284

COMMITTEE ON HUMAN SERVICES Chair Mizuno, Vice Chair Brower, members of the committee COMMITTEE ON HEALTH Chair Yamane, Vice Chair Nishimoto, members of the committee TESTIMONY OF HB 1284 increasing funding to Medicaid provider physicians and bring those payments to parity with Medicare precipitants in Hawaii The current health care system does not provide parity to those physicians who provide services to our needy. This is well reported and documented as it not only reduces the amount of physicians who provide medical services to the poor, but it decreases the patient’s access to basic medical care. In fact the present rate of repayment is a contributor to our inability to acquire and maintain a pool of quality physician to care for all in Hawaii. This is unsociable. The League supports increases in taxes to meet the health care needs of all. Thank you for allowing me to testify in support of HB1284.