HI HR123

Requests the Legislative Reference Bureau to study the necessity and relevance of Hawaii's Certificate of Need program under chapter 323D, Hawaii Revised Statutes.

Study must examine the program's role in Hawaii, potential facility or service exemptions, modifications implemented in other states, and whether reducing or eliminating Certificate of Need requirements could improve health care access on neighbor islands and for vulnerable populations.

Directs the Legislative Reference Bureau to submit findings, recommendations, and proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the 2023 Regular Session convenes.

Identifies common criticisms of Hawaii's Certificate of Need program, including that it restricts competition, hampers innovation, fails to control health care costs, is inconsistently administered, and limits rural hospital development.

Notes that the federal mandate for Certificate of Need programs (National Health Planning and Resources Development Act of 1974) was repealed in 1987, and twelve states have since fully repealed or allowed their programs to expire.