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HB2182 • 2026

RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE.

RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE.

Healthcare Labor
Active

The official status still shows this bill as active or still awaiting another formal step.

Sponsor
REYES ODA, COCHRAN, GARCIA, IWAMOTO, MATSUMOTO, POEPOE, SHIMIZU, TAKENOUCHI, Kila
Last action
2026-01-30
Official status
Referred to HSH, FIN, referral sheet 5
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The official source material does not provide details on the exact date or method of reporting to lawmakers.

Study on Long-Term Care Facility Closures

This bill requires the Department of Human Services to study long-term care facility closures and recommend new laws to address them.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) to conduct a study about long-term care facilities that are closing.
  • The DHS must look at Medicaid and Medicare payment rates, worker shortages in elderly care, healthcare costs compared to living expenses, and barriers to getting licenses for these facilities.
  • After studying these factors, the DHS has to write a report with recommendations for new laws to help solve the problem of long-term care facility closures.

Who It Names or Affects

  • People who work or live in long-term care facilities
  • The Department of Human Services

Terms To Know

Medicaid
A government program that helps pay for medical care for people with low income.
Medicare
A federal health insurance program for people aged 65 and older, as well as younger people with certain disabilities.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not specify how much funding will be provided to the Department of Human Services for this study.
  • It is unclear what specific changes or new laws might come from the report's recommendations.

Bill History

  1. 2026-01-30 H

    Referred to HSH, FIN, referral sheet 5

  2. 2026-01-28 H

    Introduced and Pass First Reading.

  3. 2026-01-26 H

    Pending introduction.

Official Summary Text

RELATING TO LONG-TERM CARE.
Long Term Care; Nursing Homes; Elderly Care; Closures; DHS; Study
Requires the Department of Human Services to conduct a study to recommend legislation to address the issue of long-term care facility closures. Requires reporting.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
HB2182

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

2182

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

RELATING
TO long-term care
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

����
SECTION
1.
�
The legislature finds that people aged
sixty-five and older make up twenty per cent of the state's population and twenty-three
per cent of the city and county of Honolulu's total population translating to
about two hundred eighty thousand to three hundred thousand people.
�
This figure is expected to increase to twenty-nine
per cent by the year 2040.
�
Sixty-six per
cent of the State's total adult population live on the island of Oahu
alone.
�
According to the executive office
on aging, there are 1,790 long-term care facilities with a total of 12,942 beds.
�
This report revealed a great disparity
between the State's aging population and the available resources of care.
�
Furthermore, many long-term care facilities
are experiencing closures across the state.
�

These closures stem from financial difficulties, staff shortages, and
regulatory issues.
�
In July 2022, a
prominent nursing home in Wahiawa closed its doors due to financial shortfalls
and infrastructure challenges, displacing sixty residents.
�
Additionally, in 2023, the increased costs
from Medicaid reimbursement changes and a statewide labor shortage resulted in
a home healthcare provider shutting down.
�
That closure resulted in only eight at-home
healthcare providers remaining to serve the entire island with many of these types
of facilities having extensive waiting lists.

����
The
Healthcare Association of Hawaii stated that the job vacancy rate for kupuna
care is at thirty-nine per cent.
�
Labor
shortages and increased job vacancies across the state may result in unsafe
staffing levels threatening the potential of elder neglect and harm.
�

����
The purpose
of this Act is to provide funding to the Department of Human Services to
conduct a study to recommend legislation to address the issue of long-term care
facility closures.
�

����
SECTION 2.

�
(a)
�

The department of human services shall conduct a study and submit a
report on the following factors to improve the overall landscape of elderly
care in the state:

����
(1)
�
Current rates of Medicaid and Medicare
reimbursement;

����
(2)
�
Labor and workforce shortages in the field of
elderly care and current wages;

����
(3)
�
Inflationary costs for healthcare services and
facility expenses in comparison with the current cost of living; and

����
(4)
�
Identification of any barriers to licensure.

����
(b)
�
The department of human services shall submit
a report of its findings and recommendations, including any proposed
legislation, to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the
convening of the regular session of 2028.

����
SECTION 3.
�
This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Long Term
Care; Nursing Homes; Elderly Care; Closures; DHS; Study

Description:

Requires
the Department of Human Services to conduct a study to recommend legislation to
address the issue of long-term care facility closures.
�
Requires reporting.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.