STAND. COM. REP. NO. 473

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  S.B. No. 818
                                        S.D. 1




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Health and Human Services to which was
referred S.B. No. 818 entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH INSURANCE,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to require mammogram
screening coverage by health maintenance organizations, and to
require annual mammogram screening for women age forty and over.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Department of Health, Insurance Commissioner, Hawaii
State Commission on the Status of Women, American Cancer Society,
and Hawaii Catholic Conference.  Kaiser Permanente offered
comments.

     Under current law, mammogram screening coverage is required
of health insurance companies and mutual benefit societies and
coverage for annual screenings are required for women age fifty
and over.

     This measure is intended to broaden access to breast cancer
screening for women in Hawaii.  Your Committee believes that one
of the barriers to preventive care is the prohibitive cost of
screening if it is not covered by health insurance.  This measure
provides for timely screening.

     Your Committee has amended this measure by:


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 473
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     (1)  Deleting section 2, requiring health maintenance
          organizations to cover mammogram screening, because the
          same coverage is required in section 432D-23, Hawaii
          Revised Statutes (HRS), which cross-references section
          431:10A-116, HRS, which provides the same coverage; and

     (2)  Deleting the second paragraph of section 1 and adding a
          purpose paragraph to state the purpose of the measure
          is to revise the frequency of mammogram screening.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Health and Human Services that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of S.B. No. 818, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass
Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Commerce and
Consumer Protection.

                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Health and Human
                                   Services,



                                   ______________________________
                                   SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair

 
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