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COUNTY OF HAWAII STATE OF HAWAII
RESOLUTION NO. S89 08
A RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE VARIOUS EFFORTS OF THE HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES TO PRESENT SOLUTIONS FOR OUR STATE'S HEALTH-
CARE CRISIS.
WHEREAS, numerous former Hawaii Island physicians have left Hawaii County to
practice medicine elsewhere, largely due to low reimbursement schedules and climbing
premiums for medical malpractice insurance; and
WHEREAS, the Council has become increasingly concerned about the exodus of doctors
from Hawaii County and the resulting shortfall in accessible medical caze; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor of Hawaii County, on many occasions and most recently at the
Hawaii Island Health Care Conference (December 1, 2007), has declazed Hawaii County to be
in a health-care crisis, in part because of the serious shortfall in doctors; and
WHEREAS, the lack of specialists and primary care physicians on the Island of Hawaii
places a serious burden on and creates potential risk to the lives of our citizens who cannot be
treated locally and must travel to Oahu for critical caze; and
WHEREAS, in an effort to mitigate rising medical malpractice insurance premium rates,
our Hawaii Island State Representatives have endeavored to pass vazious medical tort liability
reform laws, some of which include capping tort awazds for non-economic damages in
malpractice suits and subsidizing the cost of insurance for physicians; and
WHEREAS, the Council recognizes the effort of our State Legislators to help solve the
health-care crisis through medical tort liability reform laws, as evidenced by the introduction of
various bills and resolutions such as H.B.1992 HD2, H.B.1995, H.B.2291 HD2, S. B. 2101, and
H.C.R. 349; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that it
supports the efforts of our State Representatives with regazd to medical tort liability reform as
part of amulti-pronged plan to alleviate the health-caze crisis in our State, and in particular,
Hawaii Island.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the council, through its legislative liaison, shall
lobby for the passage of State legislation that will help to alleviate the healthcaze crisis; including
but not limited to legislation specifically aimed at medical tort liability reform.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the County Clerk shall forward certified copies of
this resolution to the Honorable Mayor Harry Kim, the Honorable Governor Linda Lingle, and
the Hawaii State Legislature.
Dated at Hilo ,Hawaii, this 9th day of April , 2008.
INTRODUCE _ BY:
COUNCIL ER, C Y OF AWAI
COUNTY COUNCIL ROLL CALL VOTE
County of Hawaii AYES NOES ABS EX
H110, HaWal`1 FORD X
HIGA
I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by HOFFMANN X
the vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the IKEDA
County ofHawai`ion At~r'il 9, 2008 X
JACOBSON X
NAEOLE I
ATTEST: PILAGO
YAGONG X
~ OSHIMOTO
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,R ; , Reference: ~ _
COIJ'N"I~Y CLERK _CJ IA~MMAIVt& I~RESIDING OFFICER R~'S~LUTION NO. ~ ` •
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