Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 9, Number 6, 1 June 1992 — Health act due for reauthorization [ARTICLE]

Health act due for reauthorization

A bill to reauthorize the Native Hawaiian Health Care Act, (S.2681) will soon be considered by the full United States Senate. The Senate Select Committee on Indian Affairs favorably reported out the bill on May 13, said chairman Sen. Daniel Inouye. Inouye introduced the Act for himself and Sen. Daniel Akaka on May 7. Hearings were held in Honolulu on April 14 on a draft of the bill that was developed in consultation with Papa Ola Lokahi and the five Native Hawaiian health care systems. lf passed by the Senate, the reauthorization ī will continue, through the year 2001, the health care programs and services authorized by the Native Hawaiian Health Care Improvement Act. The bill proposes expansion of the Papa Ola Lokahi board to include the five Native Hawaiian health care systems. As with other major health care reauthorization legislation, the bill adopts the Surgeon General's Healthy People 2000 objectives as the standard for measuring and improving health. The bill pro- r vides scholarships to Native Hawaiians pursuing health care professional training. '*-• Following the committee's action in reporting - * out the bill to the Senate, Inouye said: "Oftentimes solutions to problems made in-^2? Washington for native communities, even with ' - the best intentions, very seldom work. This bill " is a product of many months of consultation and discussion with Native Hawaiian health care ' providers. The native people of Hawai'i ean say with mueh deserved pride that this is a bill that '&■> was made in Hawai'i, by Native Hawaiians and A for Native Hawaiians." A-'