SB 172-ALASKA HEALTH CARE COMMISSION  1:43:54 PM Chair Davis announced consideration of SB 172. It was heard previously. DENISE LICCIOLI, Staff to Senator Donald Olson, sponsor of SB 172, said the sponsor has seen the proposed committee substitute and has no objection. CHAIR DAVIS moved to adopt the work draft committee substitute (CS) for SB 172, labeled 26-LS0790\P as the working document. There being no objection, version P was before the committee. 1:47:04 PM BILL HOGAN, Commissioner, Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), spoke in favor of CSSB 172 to create the Alaska Health Care Commission in statute. The temporary commission has been focusing on how to improve access to the health care system, contain the growth of cost, improve quality and safety, and put increased emphasis on prevention programs like tobacco cessation and obesity prevention. He stated his belief that having the Alaska Health Care Commission in place will help position the state to address costs related to the Medicaid budget and to prepare for the national health care reform. 1:48:43 PM D. TYRELL MCGIRT, Alaska Primary Care Association (APCA), said he is also a board member with the Iliuliuk Family & Health Services Clinic Inc., the community health care (CHC) center in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. While APCA believes the committee has done an outstanding job identifying different health care representatives to sit on the commission, they would point out that specific representation by community health care centers is missing and could offer a great deal. Community health centers are a proven model of primary and preventative care in Alaska and nationwide. They never turn patients away, 42 percent of their users are uninsured, and 72 percent of their users are low income. Alaska has 26 CHCs with 146 sites and in rural Alaska they are often the only option for primary and preventative health care. He reiterated support for a seat on the commission specifically for community health centers. 1:51:44 PM MARIE DARLIN, AARP Capital City Taskforce, Juneau, Alaska, said AARP adds its voice to those supporting SB 172 to make permanent the Alaska Health Care Commission. Not all of the decisions regarding health care will be made in Washington DC; Alaska has to decide how national health care will be applied here so that it works for everybody. 1:53:38 PM J. KATE BURKHART, Executive Director, Alaska Mental Health Board (AMHB) and the Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse (ABADA), thanked the committee for including a representative of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority in the CS and echoed previous testimony from the Primary Care Association regarding the importance of dedicating a specific seat to community health centers. Most indigent Alaskans receive health care through CHCs so having someone familiar with practicing in that context will be imperative to addressing the issue of rising health care costs, particularly the Medicaid budget. 1:55:27 PM SONIA HANDFORTH-KOME, Acting President, Alaska Primary Care Association (APCA), and Executive Director, Iliuliuk Family & Health Services Clinic Inc. in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, said she is speaking in favor of SB 172 but she believes that there has been a little oversight in not providing a specific seat for community health centers. The commission is looking for varied view points and ways to reduce health care costs and CHCs have a proven track record for doing that on a national level. Their perspective is different than the hospital perspective, the tribal perspective, or the for-profit perspective so it would be useful for the commission to have this representation. In Alaska CHCs see 1 in 9 patients in 142 sites so they're a solution that works. APCA would like that to be represented on this commission, she concluded. 1:57:21 PM SENATOR PASKVAN asked how many of the 142 sites are tribal health community sites. MS. HANDFORTH-KOME replied she isn't sure, but 13 of the 26 community health center organizations are tribal. SENATOR ELLIS commented that he went to Unalaska 18 years ago when the clinic opened and last fall he visited again and was impressed with their outstanding work in the community. MS. HANDFORTH-KOME said they're getting ready to do a community health needs assessment in an effort to do more with less. SENATOR DYSON commented that they must have the world's most interesting clientele. MS. HANDFORTH-KOME agreed; providers actually visit because of the interesting clientele, she said. 1:59:24 PM CHAIR DAVIS closed public testimony. She stated that while she agrees with the statements about the community health centers she believes that can be addressed in a subsequent committee. SENATOR PASKVAN moved to report CSSB 172, labeled 26-LS0790\P, from the committee with individual recommendations and attached fiscal note(s). There being no objection, CSSB 172 (HSS) moved from Senate Health and Social Services Standing Committee.