HI HB819

Requires the State Council on Developmental Disabilities to collect comprehensive data on health disparities affecting individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and submit a report to the legislature by 20 days before the 2027 regular session

Study must analyze population-level differences between individuals with and without disabilities across multiple areas including healthcare access, health insurance coverage, chronic disease rates, employment status, education level, and emergency preparedness

Hawaii currently relies on outdated federal prevalence data from 1994-1995, with an estimated 22,000 people having intellectual or developmental disabilities but only about 3,000 served through the Medicaid waiver program, leaving approximately 19,000 unaccounted for

Report must include proposed legislation and best practices to reduce health disparities, with particular attention to factors such as race, ethnicity, gender, age, county of residence, and economic disadvantages

Appropriates unspecified general fund amounts for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027, to be expended by the Department of Health, with an effective date of July 1, 2025