H.B. 1286 Summary

• Establishes a single-payer universal health care system in Hawaii to provide high-quality, medically necessary health care to all state residents.

• Creates the State Health Care Insurance Planning and Financing Authority within the Department of Health, governed by a nine-member commission appointed by the Governor with nominees from the House Speaker and Senate President.

• Transfers all functions, powers, and duties of the Hawaii Health Authority and Prepaid Health Care Act functions from the Hawaii Employer-Union Health Benefits Trust Fund to the new authority, effective July 1, 2019.

• Authorizes the authority to maintain a trust fund, negotiate federal and state health care revenue, assess temporary surcharges on income and excise taxes, hire a chief executive officer, and conduct ongoing enrollment programs.

• Appropriates unspecified general revenues for fiscal years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021 to establish and operate the single-payer universal health care insurance system.