Rep. Gregg Takayama

Establishes the Trade-Oriented Production Capacity Grant Program within the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism to support one-time capital investments that expand the State's manufacturing and production capacity for trade. Provides grants for equipment, automation, and facility improvements that directly increase output, efficiency, and competitiveness for eligible businesses, with required private-sector matching funds. Prioritizes traded-sector businesses with interstate or international market potential to help generate measurable near-term trade and economic returns. Appropriates funds.

Establishes patient rights with respect to timely access to specialists and referrals and prior authorization determination timelines. Establishes certain requirements for health carriers for prior authorization determinations. Establishes certain requirements for the use of automated decision support tools for claims determinations and utilization review. Requires health carriers to establish certain safeguards for protected health information. Establishes certain reporting requirements for network adequacy. Establishes certain provider protections. Expands the Insurance Commissioner's enforcement authority.

Requires all health insurers in the State, including Medicaid managed care programs, to cover the cost of continuous glucose monitors and related supplies under certain conditions. Applies to insurance policies, contracts, plans, or agreements issued or renewed in the State after 12/31/2026.

Requires the Department of Human Services to establish a Medicaid buy-in program for workers with disabilities. Requires the Department to adopt rules.

Establishes the Hawaii Agricultural Transportation Assistance Program, to consist of a reimbursement program for geographically disadvantaged farmers and livestock producers to mitigate the high costs of transportation for agricultural products, inputs, and supplies, and a grant program to assist small-scale farmers, ranchers, food hubs, and agricultural producers in rural or underserved areas with transportation costs directly related to the production and distribution of agricultural commodities. Establishes the Hawaii Agricultural Transportation Assistance Special Fund. Requires reports to the Legislature. Appropriates funds.

Maddy summaryHB 2588 establishes an American Sign Language (ASL) Program at the University of Hawaii and appropriates funding for its operation. The program directly affects University of Hawaii students and future ASL interpreters by providing dedicated educational resources. Key provisions include creating the program structure and allocating state funds for its implementation. This bill represents a concrete policy change to support ASL education at the university level.

Requires state agencies, including the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity and Agribusiness Development Corporation, that administer agricultural leases, licenses, development programs, or procurement involving agricultural products to award points or preferences to agricultural projects incorporating agricultural workforce housing. Requires a report to the Legislature.

Establishes a universal, single payer health care system to be known as "Hawaii Care", to provide comprehensive health care benefits to all state residents and eventually replace all existing health care plans in the State. Designates the Hawaii Health Authority as the responsible agency for the comprehensive planning, implementation, and administration of Hawaii Care. Requires the Hawaii Health Authority to develop and submit a comprehensive implementation and administration plan to the legislature by a certain date. Establishes the Hawaii Care special fund. Requires the Hawaii Health Authority to adopt rules and submit reports to the Legislature. Requires the Governor to appoint members to the Hawaii Health Authority by 12/31/2026. Requires the Department of Human Services to apply for necessary federal waivers. Takes effect 180 days after the approval of the Hawaii Medicaid State Plan and necessary federal waivers. Appropriates funds.

Appropriates funds to the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division of the Department of Health to contract with community-based organizations for a behavioral health complex patient model. Requires a report to the Legislature.

Prohibits discrimination against a pharmacy or pharmacist with respect to participation, referral, reimbursement of a covered service, or indemnification. Establishes beneficiary cost sharing and deductible requirements for prescription drugs. Establishes minimum rates for which pharmacy benefit managers are to reimburse pharmacies for dispensing prescription drugs. For prescription drug benefit plans executed, amended, adjusted, or renewed on or after 7/1/2027, requires a pharmacy benefit manager to use pass-through pricing, or may alternatively use spread pricing if any savings realized by the pharmacy benefit manager are passed on.